


Courses Charted and Abandoned

by Current521



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: AU, Angst, Divorce, F/M, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 10:44:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20562998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521
Summary: Ted didn't plan like this. He's sure Charlotte didn't either.





	1. Christmas and What Follows

So Ted wasn’t the best person, sue him. He would lean into it.

The CCRP Technical Christmas party was usually a sad and drunk affair, but this year was so much worse than usual. Charlotte was in a corner arguing with her husband, Bill was having a bad night, given how much he was drinking, Paul was sitting uncomfortably at the table next to Bill trying to make conversation, Mr. Davidson was very drunk and slow dancing with his wife to no music, and Melissa was on her phone. Ted looked around for a bit, sighed, and decided to chat up Melissa. At least she was his friend, sort of. So were Bill and Paul, but he wasn’t up for Bill’s bad moods.

He pulled up a chair next to hers. “Hey Melissa.”   
“Fuck off, Ted.” She didn’t look up.

“Come on, I’m bored. I don’t wanna join Bill’s pity party, just give me something.” He leaned in a little bit. “Anything.”   
Melissa sighed, but put her phone away. “Do you know what Bill’s so upset about? He’s been drinking heavily.”   
“Oh, he got a divorce. Apparently someone’s been sleeping with his wife.” Ted couldn’t help himself; he grinned a bit. “Not that I know who or anything.”   
“You’re such an asshole!” But Melissa laughed a little. “Did you… Seriously?” She started giggling.

Ted nodded. “Shush, Bill doesn’t know it was me. I think. He hasn’t said anything.”

Both of them were drunk enough to chuckle for a few seconds. “Okay, seriously,” Melissa said then. “You’re telling me you slept with Bill’s wife?”

“I did, yeah. I’m surprised it took them this long to get a divorce, it’s been… Two years? But seriously though, you don’t know any of this.”   
“Of course not. Ted, you piece of shit, you ruined the poor man’s marriage!” Melissa was laughing too much for her words to have any sting.

“Eh.” Ted shrugged. “His wife ruined it. She didn’t have to sleep with me, but she knew what she deserved.”

“I have to look Bill in the eyes on Monday, Ted! Don’t tell me any more.”   
“Alright.” Ted leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. Charlotte’s husband was leaving, he noticed, and she was looking for drinks. Might be time to leave Melissa behind; a sad wife was Ted’s specialty, especially when that wife was Charlotte.

“Wait, Ted, okay, tell me about it.” Melissa grabbed his arm, almost making him spill his drink. “What happened with Bill’s wife.”

“Okay, come on, don’t want Bill to hear us.” He pulled Melissa into a corner and lowered his voice. “Okay, two years ago, I was at their house, I’d promised to take care of Alice for a Saturday. Anyway, Laura came home earlier than expected, Alice and I were in the middle of cooking, so she said I could stay for dinner. Broke out a bottle of wine, and well, things happened.”

“Wait wait wait wait.” Melissa put both her hands on Ted’s shoulders. “Wait. You’re telling me you not only slept with Bill’s wife, but you did so  _ in his house _ ? While his  _ daughter _ was home?”

“Yeah. Not just his house, his bed. The first time. She came to my place after that.” Ted pushed her hands off; Melissa was attractive, but he had no desire to sleep with her; they were friends and Heaven knew he had few enough of those. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go ask Charlotte for a cigarette.” He left Melissa in the corner, looking slightly disturbed but still giggling.

Charlotte was pouring a drink, her hands shaking. “Oh, hi Ted,” she said, for once seeming to notice him before he spoke.

“Hey Charlotte.” Ted reached out to steady her hands. “Wanna join me outside for a smoke?”

“Oh, Ted, I…” Charlotte reflexively started pulling her hands away, but Ted held on and finished pouring her drink. “Sam doesn’t like when I smoke.”   
“Fuck Sam, he isn’t here.” Ted let go of her hands. “Come on, at least give me a cigarette and keep me company.”   
“Alright then, but just company.” She led the way outside, pulling cigarettes and a lighter out of her purse. “Here.”   
“Thank you.” Ted took the cigarette and let her light it for him. “How are things with Sam? You guys seemed to be fighting earlier.” Ted often played a listening ear to Charlotte’s complaints about her husband. It was partly because he wanted to be in her good graces, but mostly because he disliked Sam and enjoyed shitting on him.

“Oh things are just swell, we’re just fine.” She was sounding even more distant than usual which, for Charlotte, was saying something. “Everything’s just fine.”   
“Still trying for counselling?” For someone who really didn’t care, Ted asked a lot of questions, but he suspected she didn’t have many people to talk to. He’d be a listening ear if no one else would. “You know he’s never gonna improve.”   
“He just needs time to get used to the thought.” Charlotte looked at him. “Can I have a drag?”

“Sure.” Ted handed her the cigarette. “But seriously, Charlotte, you could do better. You deserve better.” Did he care about Charlotte? A bit, maybe, but he was just trying to be sympathetic to get to sleep with her.

Charlotte was almost too shaky to hold the cigarette; Ted resisted the urge to take it from her. “But I love Sam, I really do. We just… Have our differences.”

Ted sighed. “Sure, Charlotte. Like Sam being an asshole and you being a pushover.” He didn’t know why he bothered. “You deserve better.”   
“And what’s better then, Ted? You?” She handed him back the cigarette.   
So she realised. Great. “Not what I meant, but if you wanna sleep with me I am available.”

She slapped him. “Ted! You’re such a bastard!”

He reached to grab her arm, but was too slow to stop the slap. “Oh  _ I’m _ a bastard? What about the man who’s cheating on you, huh, Charlotte? Come on, don’t give me that face. We all know. You’re just married to him because you like fucking him, and he’s just married to you because he doesn’t wanna risk giving you a penny in a divorce and because you cook for him.” Ted took the cigarette back, finished it in one drag, and stepped on the butt to extinguish it. “Have you considered that maybe you need to open your eyes?” He strode off; he didn’t have the need to say goodbye to anyone.

It was not yet midnight, and Ted wasn’t really in the mood to go home. There was only one pub in Hatchetfield, but it was a decent one, and Ted needed about six drinks.

He was in the process of ordering a shot of whiskey when a woman around his age came up and started ordering without waiting for him to be done. “Just add that to mine,” Ted said. He smiled at the girl. “I’ll spot this round if you tell me your name.”   
She rolled her eyes at him, but she also smiled. “Hi, I’m Emma.”   
“I’m Ted.” Their drinks arrived. “Wanna grab a table?”   
“Sure, I was supposed to meet a friend, but she ditched me.”

“Oh that sucks.” Ted gestured for Emma to sit on the bench, and grabbed a chair across from her. “Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, are you new in town?”

Emma nodded and sat down. “Well, I grew up here, but I’ve been out for ten years. Just moved back. Can’t believe this is still the only pub.”

“It’s Hatchetfield, nothing ever happens.” Ted raised his glass. “Cheers.”   
“Cheers.” They clinked glasses and drank. “Yeah, tell me about it. I’ve been gone for ten years and I still know  _ every single store _ in this godforsaken town.”   
“I’ve only lived here for five years.” Ted was weighing his chances of taking Emma home; pretty alright, he guessed. “I’m already sick of it, but now I’m here.”   
“Why’d you come here? I mean, what makes someone move  _ to _ Hatchetfield?” Emma was drinking faster than Ted, but there was a fair chance she’d been sober when they’d started.

Ted shrugged. “I got a job here. Didn’t have any reason to stay in Michigan after college so I just went.”   
“Bet you’re regretting that now, huh?”   
“Not really?”   
“Are you gonna buy me another drink or am I gonna have to get this one myself?” Emma got up and started moving towards the bar without waiting for an answer.

Ted took out a 20 and handed it to her. “Get me a whiskey, babe.” He smiled at her.

Emma rolled her eyes at him, but she took the money and went to the bar.

“Thanks.” Ted took the whiskey when Emma returned. “Hey, where do you work?”   
“Nowhere yet, but I’ve applied at Beanie’s. You know, the coffee shop?”   
“Yeah, I’m familiar.” Ted didn’t tell her that he went pretty often when at work. No need to scare her away. “A barista then?”

Emma scoffed. “More like a student who can’t do better. But I will be a barista, I suppose, if I get the job. Where do you work?”   
“Oh, uh, CCRP, the tech company.” Ted knocked back his whiskey. “I’m getting another, you need anything?”

“Hey, you can drink, huh? Yeah, if it’s on your tab, get me a martini.” Emma was actually smiling at him, which Ted appreciated. He had enough money to keep buying drinks for a while, but he hoped he could make a move soon.

When he returned with their drinks, he sat on the bench next to Emma instead of across from her. “So, Emma.” He smiled. “Drinks here aren’t cheap and I have a crate of beer and a bottle of vodka in my fridge at home…” He raised an eyebrow.

Emma sighed. “You know what? Fuck it, yeah, when I’ve finished my drink.” She elbowed him in the side. “Don’t take it as a hint.”   
“I won’t.” Ted took a sip of his whiskey to mask his smile. Going home with him might not be a hint, but  _ that _ sure as hell was. “Just to drink some more.”

“Right.” Emma took another sip of her drink, then looked at it for a second before knocking it back. “Ready to go?”

Ted knocked back his whiskey. “Of course.” He stood and put an arm around Emma’s waist as they left the pub together.

He hailed a cab. It was only three blocks, but they were both drunk, and Emma wasn’t wearing nearly enough clothes for December. Better put the extra money down and make it seem like he gave a shit.

Once in Ted’s apartment, he cracked open a couple of beers and sat on the couch, a bit too close. Emma didn’t seem to mind. She was looking around the apartment. “You can afford an apartment like this by yourself? No roommates?”

“None.” Ted shrugged. “It’s not that expensive.” He put a hand on Emma’s knee. “Do you want a tour?”

She laughed. “Maybe when this beer’s empty. Cheers.”

“Cheers.” They clinked their bottles together, and Ted was getting a lot drunker than he intended, but oh well. He wouldn’t mind; he just hoped Emma wouldn’t either.

She leaned into him a little bit, so he took his hand off her knee and wrapped an arm around her shoulders instead. He wasn’t picky, and he counted it as a victory when she leaned in further.

They small talked for a while longer, Emma sipping her beer while still leaned into Ted. He’d put his beer down, not really wanting to drink any more; he may not mind how drunk he was getting, but he wanted to keep his head.

“Okay, hang on.” Emma stood, a little shakily; Ted reflexively grabbed her elbow to steady her. “This is the worst, hang on.” She took a few steps away, turning her back to Ted. Then she reached under her shirt and unclasped her bra, and Ted laughed a little as she threw it on the ground. “Don’t laugh, it’s super uncomfortable.”

“My laughing or the bra?”

“The bra.”   
“Yeah, yeah, I’m not complaining.” He grinned at her.

Emma looked, momentarily, like she was going to slap him. Then she held out her hand. “How about that tour?”

“Right.” Ted took her hand and got up, careful not to use her as support; she seemed steady enough, but he wasn’t taking any risks. “Come on then.” He held her hand as he led her through the apartment — living room, kitchen, the small guest room that he mostly used as a makeshift home office and game room, the bathroom, and then his bedroom. 

He didn’t say much, and neither did Emma; Ted had a feeling both of them knew where this ended. “So,” he said when they were standing in his bedroom. “Now you’ve seen the house.”   
“This is an apartment,” Emma said. She was standing very close, looking up at him.

What the hell. He leaned down to kiss her, a hand on her hip. She kissed him back, and he could feel her arms around him. He put his other hand up to cradle her face and pulled her a little bit closer. Not a lot; she was notably shorter than him, and he didn’t want to put his head down too much.

She broke away after a few seconds. “Okay, are we doing this?”

“What, fucking?” Ted raised an eyebrow. “If you want to. I know I do.”

Emma shook her head, but she pulled him towards the bed.

Emma wasn’t in the bed when Ted woke the next morning; it would make sense that she’d sneak out, he supposed. Then he heard her.

She was standing, still mostly naked in the middle of the bedroom, looking through the pile of their clothes that had been unceremoniously dumped on the floor. “Where is it?” she muttered to herself, annoyed.

“If it’s your bra you’re looking for, it’s in the living room.” He raised himself up on his elbows to look at her. “And good morning, by the way.”   
“Good morning.” Emma made a noise of annoyance. “What’s your neighbour’s visibility of the living room?”

“Very good, I’ll go get it for you.” Ted grabbed his pants and pulled them on. He went to the living room, grabbed Emma’s bra from where she’d discarded it on the floor, and walked back in the bedroom to hand it to her. “Do you wanna stay for breakfast?” he asked. He didn’t really want her to, he suspected nothing was gonna come of this, but hey. Didn’t hurt to ask.

Emma shook her head. “Not really, but I’d appreciate it if I could use your shower.”

“Go ahead.” Ted gestured to the bathroom. Then he couldn’t quite help himself. “Mind if I join?”

“Gross, Ted. It’s Ted, right?” She looked slightly disturbed that she wasn’t sure.

“Yeah. Erica, right?” He went to his closet to find a fresh shirt.

“Emma!” She wasn’t really intimidating, five foot nothing in the middle of his bedroom, wearing only panties and holding her bra.

Ted held up his hands. “I know, I know, I’m just messing with ya. Anyway, you were gonna shower?”

“Right.” She collected her clothes and went to the bathroom.

Ted got dressed, then went to the kitchen to find some breakfast. Emma poked her head in ten minutes later, fully dressed. “I’m leaving,” she said.

“Alright. See you around?”

“Hopefully not.” She left before Ted had a chance to reply.

“Goodbye then,” he said to the empty kitchen.

It was Sunday, and he didn’t really have plans, so after dumping his dishes in the sink, he went back to the living room and turned on the TV. He wasn’t thinking about Charlotte. He was thinking about Emma a little bit, but not really. He definitely wasn’t thinking about Laura. Ted had gotten very good at not thinking about Laura since she and Bill got a divorce.

He thought about Melissa instead. She was probably the closest thing he had to a best friend; sure, she told him to fuck off every time he talked to her, but she also didn’t seem to mind, so he figured it was just how she was. Or she still thought he was trying to hook up with her. He should probably tell her that he wasn’t. She was the only one he could trust with who he slept with. Like Laura, who he still wasn’t thinking of. And Emma, who he needed to tell her about. Hell, Melissa might even know her, she was from the area.

Eventually, by not thinking about Laura or Charlotte, and only thinking about Emma in terms of what he needed to tell Melissa, and only thinking about Melissa in terms of what he needed to tell her about Emma, Ted drifted off into a nap on his couch.

He woke up around five in the afternoon, groggy as hell and somehow more hungover than in the morning. He went to take a shower; he hadn’t bothered in the morning since Emma was there, but he really needed one.

She’d left a note, written with what looked like coal on the mirror.  _ Next time, ask for my number, dumbass _ . She hadn’t actually written her number, but hey, maybe there’d be a next time.

A closer inspection revealed it to be eyeliner, or some kind of makeup at least. He wondered where she’d had it; she hadn’t been carrying a purse. Then he saw the pencil on the edge of the sink, and suddenly remembered; someone had left it there, he couldn’t remember who, but it had been there for a few weeks. He shrugged and left it.

He left the note on the mirror while he showered, hoping the steam meant it would wipe off easy and knowing it wouldn’t. He tried anyway, then decided that he didn’t want to deal with it just then. Instead, he went to track down some leftovers for dinner.

Ted was feeling significantly better Monday morning when he showed up for work. Only Paul was in, which surprised him; he wasn’t late, but he wasn’t really early either. Bill and Charlotte were usually in before him.

“Where is everyone?” Ted asked.

“Oh.” Paul looked up. “Bill is dropping Alice off at the bus. I don’t know about Charlotte.”   
“I wonder if she’s okay.” Ted sat down and booted up his PC.

Charlotte walked in five minutes later. “Good morning. Sorry I’m late, has anyone asked for me?”

“Just me.” Ted smiled at her. “Where were you?”   
“Oh, just had something with Sam.” She went to her desk, not saying anything else.

Bill showed up some fifteen minutes later, mumbling apologies in between complaining about Laura moving to Clyvesdale and taking Alice with her. Ted didn’t care.

He caught Melissa as they were headed to lunch. “Hey. Hey, Melissa.”

“Fuck off Ted.” She smiled at him; it was almost certainly a joke.

He smiled back. “I need to tell you something, come on. I’ll buy lunch.”

“Don’t try that with me.”

“Come on, Melissa, we’re friends. I need your expertise." He clicked his tongue at her with a smile.

She sighed. "Alright, if you're buying."

"Nice." He took her to a small cafe, just a few blocks away, where he often ate lunch.

"Okay," Melissa said once they had their food. "What do you need?"

"Do you know anyone named Emma? About this tall, brown hair and eyes, apparently grew up here but has been away for about ten years?" Ted realised how vague it was.

Melissa shrugged. "Maybe. Could be Emma Harrison, I don't know if it's been ten years since she left, but she just came back. Emma Perkins left about ten years ago, but I don't know if she's back, I haven't talked to her. Oh, and Emma Walters, she just moved back with her new husband. Why?"

"Oh, I hooked up with her on Saturday." Ted shrugged. "I met her at the pub after I ditched the party. I was just wondering if you knew her, and maybe if you could get in touch with her."

Melissa shook her head. "Oh no, I'm not helping you with that. Do you  _ want _ to sleep with every woman in Hatchetfield?"

"Nope." Ted counted on his fingers. "I don't wanna sleep with you, you're my friend, I don't wanna sleep with Mrs. Davidson, she seems creepy, I don't wanna sleep with Paul's sister Andrea, she annoys me to no end, I don't wanna sleep with younger women in general, at least not more than a few years younger… Plus, Hatchetfield might be small, but there are lots of women here I haven't met and therefore can't say." He grinned at her. "Mostly, though, I am available."

Melissa looked like she regretted asking. "Charlotte is your friend, how come you wanna sleep with her and not me?"

"What, are you jealous?" Ted laughed a little to himself at Melissa's murderous expression. "I don't want to sleep with you because you're the friend I can tell, hey, I'm the reason our coworker's getting a divorce. Or hey, I slept with this chick, will you help me find her again? Apparently you won't, but that's not the point. The point is, Charlotte is the friend where I can say, hey, your husband's a douchebag, you could really do better and have that be both emotional support and an attempt to get in her pants."

"You're so gross, Ted, I don't even know why I'm friends with you." Melissa sighed deeply. "But fair enough. Just, maybe don't try to sleep with Charlotte?"

"Come on, she deserves better than Sam."

"She does, but she deserves better than you too." Melissa finished her drink. "I'm stopping by Beanie's on the way back, do you want anything?"

"Uh, a chai latte, thanks." Ted went to pay for their food as Melissa left. They arrived back at the office at roughly the same time, and she handed him his drink without even saying anything. He did thank her, though; he was well raised.

Apparently Ted's little comment to Melissa about not wanting to sleep with her had been all it took; they ate lunch together every day, and she seemed to be actually interested in talking to him. She still told him to fuck off whenever he went up to her, but it was followed by a smile and, to his surprise, a hug every time, so he didn't take it seriously. Something told him that the fact that his best friend hadn't actually been his friend until that week wasn't a good sign, but he ignored it.

Melissa wasn't in on Fridays, so Ted had resigned himself to eating alone in the cafeteria. To his surprise, Charlotte joined him.

"Hey Charlotte."

"Hi Ted." She smiled tentatively. "How are you? I've hardly seen you this week."

"Been at work every day, Charlotte." He wasn't sure what game she was playing. "I've even been at lunch, just went out with Melissa Monday."

"Oh." Charlotte seemed mildly put off. "You seem to spend a lot of time with Melissa."

Ted shrugged. "She's my friend. What do you care?" He was thrilled Charlotte seemed to care, but he also didn't want her to snoop. "How's Sam?"

"Just fine." Charlotte seemed annoyed that he'd changed the subject. "He's just fine."

"Charlotte…" Ted sighed. "I stand by the fact that you should leave him. Not that it's any of my business."

"Ted!" Charlotte was half out of her chair, holding her plate, then sank back down. "I love Sam. I don't want to leave him, I want to make things work."

"Well, it won't work. But fine, if you don't want my advice, let's not talk about  _ Sam _ ." Ted took a deep breath. "Do you know why Bill was at the party on Saturday? Paul said he was dropping Alice off Monday morning, I can't imagine he'd sacrifice time with his daughter to get drunk with us."

"Fine." Charlotte wasn't meeting his eyes, but she leaned in and lowered her voice. "Alice only came to his place Sunday. She doesn't want to be here on weekends, she wanted to live here, so she's staying away out of spite. And supposedly Alice knows who she was cheating with, but she won't tell Bill."

Ted almost choked on his water. Almost. He coughed a bit to cover. "Sorry, sore throat."

He and Charlotte made smalltalk about Bill and his life, and about Paul and Mr. Davidson, and definitely not about Sam.

Ted didn't have a lot of friends, so his weekends were mostly spent alone. He decided to hop a bus into Clyvesdale Friday evening to catch a movie. It wasn't something he did often, but he wasn't really in the mood to run into anyone he knew.

So of course he saw Laura at the cinema. He tried to turn around, but she'd already seen him. She was waving and walking towards him.

"Hi! Ted! How have you been?"

"Laura, hi." He did a peace sign and clicked his tongue. "Good, good, how about you?"

"Pretty good. Are you here alone?" She looked like she was about to give him a hug, but he sidestepped.

"Uh, yeah. Just wanted a night to myself, you know." He was wondering how he could get out of this. "How's Alice?"

"She's fine. You know, Ted, I'm here by myself as well, maybe we can get a seat together?" Laura was clearly interested. In what, he wasn’t entirely sure.

Ted sighed and steeled himself. "Look, Laura, we had a good time. Good few years. But uhh, Bill is my friend, and I need to see him every day, so if we can not do this, that would be great, okay. Tell Alice I said hi." He walked away before she had a chance to respond.

Great. Ted went to the ticket counter and got himself a fairly bad seat, hoping to avoid being close to Laura. Just what he needed on a Friday night.

It was a shitty movie, but he didn't see Laura anymore, and the popcorn was good. He put in headphones on the bus home and listened to music while not thinking about Laura, and not thinking about Charlotte and Sam. Especially not Sam. Fuck Sam.

He went straight to bed when he went home. A minute later, a text ticked in. Charlotte.  _ Sam isn't coming home. You were right about him cheating. _

Ted looked at for a moment. He was already in bed. He could ignore her.  _ I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want me to drop by?  _ He reached for the shirt he'd dropped on the floor. He suspected he knew the answer. Charlotte hated text conversations, she would’ve called him if she didn’t want him to come.

He was right.  _ If you don't mind. I don't want to bother. _ He was halfway to the car by then.

Charlotte and Sam's apartment was across town; Ted had been there once before. He pulled up behind the building and rang the door phone.

Charlotte didn't answer, but she did let him in, and Ted walked up.

She was sitting in the middle of the couch with a full bottle of vodka and an empty glass. Ted grabbed another glass from the cabinet and sat next to her. "Hey Charlotte," he said softly. He poured both of them a drink. "What happened?"

"Sam said he was coming home late again." She was staring into nothing, the empty TV, taking a sip with shaky hands. "I asked him where he'd be, I called the precinct earlier and they said he had already left. He didn't want to answer me, so I asked, I said, 'are you cheating on me, Sam, sweetheart?' and he said nothing. Then he said he'd be home tomorrow and hung up." Another shaky sip.

"I'm so sorry, Charlotte." Ted moved closer to put an arm around her, racking his brain for something to say. "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head. "Just some company." She took out a cigarette and a lighter.

She was shaking enough for Ted to take them from her. He lit the cigarette and took a drag before handing it back to her. "I can stay the night, I don't have plans." He knew he was likely going to end up sleeping on the couch, but hey. It was worth a shot.

They sat in silence for a while. Ted sipped his vodka, while Charlotte was pouring hers down. Just the one glass, though; then she just stared. Ted decided not to give her a refill.

After about fifteen solid minutes of silence, during which the only movement was Charlotte putting out her cigarette, she suddenly sagged, leaning into Ted. He wrapped his arm around her properly and planted a kiss on her hair. He expected her to protest, but she just leaned in further. "Charlotte." Ted could hear the strain in his own voice. "Charlotte, how much have you been drinking?" The bottle had been full when he came in, but for all he knew, it was the second one she’d taken out. He didn’t really mind, but he also didn’t want to do anything without knowing she was in on it.

"Just the one glass," she replied, murmuring. She looked up at him. "Ted, I—"

"Don't." He put a hand up to her face and leaned in to kiss her, well aware that it was a bad idea.

She slapped him. He leaned back and put his hand down, but he kept his other arm around her shoulders, and she didn't take her weight off his chest. "Ted! I'm married, I can't—"

"Sam's married." Ted looked at her steadily. "And right now, bet you any money, he's in some poor college girl's bed and not here with you. I'm here. And I was there last week when he left. He's an asshole, Charlotte, to you most of all. And I'm no saint, but I'm here."

Charlotte finally moved away from Ted completely, and he let his arm drop. "I love Sam. I don't want to be with someone else."

Ted threw his arms up in defeat. "Well shit, Charlotte, I'm not a fucking marriage counselor. Are you seriously saying you called me this late just to have an audience to your little pity party? Or do you actually want my advice? I like you, you know. But if we're not gonna fuck, or I'm not at least gonna help you somehow, then I'm leaving." Ted made to get up; he'd played target for Charlotte's antics long enough. He was being unfair, but so was she.

"Ted, no." She grabbed his arm. "I don't know why I texted you. Stay?"

Ted melted a little bit. He kissed her forehead. "Alright. But make up your mind, Charlotte." He reached for a cigarette and lighter, left on the table. He lit one and leaned back on the couch. "Come here. You look dead on your feet." He put out an arm, indicating for her to lean on him again.

She looked like she had all but made up her mind not to, then she scooted a bit closer and leaned in with her head on his chest. "Just this once Ted."

Ted hummed in response. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that, but he wasn’t gonna push it. In fact, he wasn't gonna push anything. If Charlotte wanted to fuck him, that was her choice.

It took less than a minute for her to lean up to kiss him. Ted held her and kissed her back and let her set the pace.

They had sex on the couch. It was awkward and difficult and Ted would've preferred to move to the bed, but he didn't say it. And Charlotte didn't have any condoms and Ted, idiot that he was, had left his wallet at home. Ted was stupid enough to go for it anyway, and Charlotte was apparently too married to really think about it.

Ted woke up, still on the couch, and still with Charlotte on top of him. He wrapped both arms around her and kissed her shoulder. She was still asleep, at least asleep enough not to protest. Ted kept an ear out for Sam, but decided to let Charlotte sleep as long as she needed.

She woke up suddenly, sitting up and blinking. Ted wasn’t exactly comfortable under her anymore, but damn him if he was gonna say anything.

“Ted! What are you doing here?” She was evidently scandalised, then suddenly seemed to realise where she was and what had happened. “Oh.”   
“Oh,” he repeated. He adjusted his position a little bit, trying and failing to be more comfortable. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine.” She got up and started getting dressed, not saying anything more.

Ted followed her example, getting up and getting dressed. “Charlotte.” She didn’t reply. “Charlotte. We’re gonna have to talk about this.”

“No we aren’t.” She tied the bow on her shirt. “This was the last time, Ted.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine. I don’t mind. I just mean, do you wanna talk about it? Are you still gonna text me when Sam’s an ass? Can I tell Melissa? Does this change anything with Sam?” He shouldn’t have asked that last question, probably. But he did.

Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t wanna talk about it. I don’t know, Ted, I don’t have many friends. I love Sam, I want to make things work.”

“You know,” Ted said as he headed to the door, “you keep telling me you love Sam, but how many times do you tell him, huh? Who are you trying to convince.”   
“Ted—”   
“See you Monday.” Ted left, not really wanting to stay. He got in his car and drove home, but he stayed seated in the car for too long after arriving. He looked in the glove compartment, realised he didn’t have any cigarettes, and regretted not taking one of Charlotte’s before he left. But he wasn’t thinking about Charlotte.

He drove to a nearby gas station. The car was in need of a refill, and he was in need of a cigarette. Then he drove to the park and sat on the hood of the car and chain smoked without thinking about Charlotte.

He was four cigarettes in when a text ticked in. Melissa.  _ Do you have plans today? I’m buying lunch.  _ She was a godsend.

_ None at all. Where and when? _

_ Half an hour, can you pick me up? My car’s in the shop. _

Driving to Melissa’s would only take ten minutes, so Ted lit another cigarette and stayed where he was. He still wasn’t thinking about Charlotte, but he was thinking about Sam. Who was sleeping with college girls, Ted had seen him with them. And that was just gross, by the way, he was like six years older than Ted at least, and Ted was too old for college kids. Not to mention, Ted wasn’t cheating on anyone. Sure, he didn’t mind being the tool for other people to cheat, but that was because he firmly believed that he was not at fault. A few bad encounters with scorned spouses had told him otherwise, but he didn’t feel guilty about it. And he didn’t blame the college girls who was sleeping with Sam, it was definitely Sam’s fault. And it hurt Charlotte, who he still wasn’t thinking about.

Three cigarettes later, Ted had worked himself into a directionless rage, and it was time to go get Melissa. He managed another two cigarettes on the way,

“Oh wauw, you’ve been smoking,” Melissa said when she got in.

“Good to see you too.” Ted managed a smile at Melissa. “Sorry, you can open the windows, I’ll stop.” He cranked open his own window.

Melissa did the same. “Are you alright? I don’t see you smoke very much.”   
“Just when I’m stressed. Where do you wanna get lunch?”

“I was gonna go to Richie’s.” Melissa looked around in her purse for a bit, then apparently gave up. “What are you stressed about?”   
“I slept with Charlotte.” So he did get some bit of satisfaction from the surprised noise she made. “Last night. She finally realised that Sam was cheating on her, so I went to her place and well.”   
“What are you stressed about then? I thought you’ve been wanting to sleep with her.”   
Ted pulled up in front of Richie’s, a small, sort of hipster-ish place. “I did, and I’m happy I did. But I don’t think she wants to talk to me anymore and she's staying with Sam and—"

"Wait wait wait." Melissa, in the process of getting out of the car, stopped to stare at him. "Don't tell me you wanna  _ date  _ her."

"She deserves better, Melissa." Ted got out of the car and locked it. "Not necessarily with me, but at least without Sam."

Melissa looked at him strangely before walking into the restaurant.

Ted went to church that Sunday. It wasn't something he did often, but it was a nice little break of his social circle, and he needed to switch his brain off for a few hours. So of course the sermon was about adultery.

He drove to the park again after church, just stopping at a gas station to buy another pack of cigarettes and some lunch. He wasn't actually accustomed enough to smoking to go through a pack a day, but he was willing to let his lungs and throat suffer. He wasn't thinking about Charlotte, or Sam, he wasn't thinking about Laura, or how he had to see both Bill and Charlotte the next day, and he wasn't thinking about the way Melissa had looked at him when she asked if he was into Charlotte. And he definitely wasn't thinking about the fact that he  _ was _ into Charlotte, very much so.

He stayed in the park until nightfall, sprawled out on the hood of his car, smoking and looking at the stars. It was December and he was only wearing a corduroy jacket, a surefire way to get sick, but hey, if he had pneumonia he didn't have to see Charlotte until after Christmas.

He somehow fell asleep out there. At least he was woken up by a cop — not Sam, thankfully — asking him what he was doing before morning rolled around.

"Stargazing," he replied, with as much dignity as he could muster. "I must have dozed off, it's about time I head home."

"Hmm." The cop looked him over. "Is this your car?'

"Yup." He held up the keys. "Anything else you need."

The cop looked like she wanted to take him in, but she gave up. "Have a good night, sir."

"Thank you, officer, you too." Ted got back in his car and drove home. Two cigarettes on the way, combined with the fact that it was nearly two in the morning, was enough to knock him out cold once he got to bed.

The next week passed relatively uneventfully. This may partly be due to the fact that Ted spoke only to Paul and Melissa while at work, and went straight home afterwards to hide out in his apartment.

At long last, Friday ended, and Ted could get in his car and leave Hatchetfield behind. He was spending Christmas with his family. It was a couple of hours to the nearest airport, and then several more by plane, so by the time he landed in Portland and saw his mother, he felt sufficiently far away.

Something about being in his childhood home should have made him forget about everything that had happened. Something about exchanging vague texts with Melissa and having no other contact with Hatchetfield, seeing his family, meeting high school classmates at the grocery store. But instead he found himself thinking about Charlotte, and nothing he did would quite stop it.

It didn't help when she called him Christmas morning. He wanted to let it go to voicemail, he really did. "This is Ted."

"Oh hi, I just wanted to… Well, merry Christmas, Ted." She was half whispering.

"Merry Christmas, Charlotte." Ted sighed and considered hanging up. "Was there any other reason you called?"

She was quiet for a long time. "Sorry," she whispered then, very quickly, and hung up.

Ted looked at the dead phone in his hand for a few moments. "What was it, dear?" His mom looked concerned.

"Nothing. Just a friend." He put the phone away and busied himself with helping with breakfast.

Ted went back to Hatchetfield on Boxing Day. He invited Melissa round for dinner, but she said no; she had plans. Ten minutes later, he was glad she did.

There was a knock on the door. Charlotte was standing outside. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." He stepped aside to let her in. "What's up? What are you doing here?"

She shook her head. "I came home earlier than planned. I was gonna surprise my Sam, but there was a woman's jacket in the hall, not mine, and the bedroom door was closed and I didn't want to stay."

Ted gave her a hug and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm making dinner, you can stay here."

"Thank you." She seemed like she was gonna protest for a moment, but then she hugged him back.

Ted finished cooking while Charlotte sat at the dinner table. They didn't talk. Charlotte managed a small "thank you" when Ted put food in front of her, but they ate in silence, too. Ted cleared the table and dumped the dishes in the sink, then sat down across from Charlotte.

"Okay," he said. "Why are you here?"

She shook her head and remained silent.

"Dammit Charlotte!" Ted slammed his hand on the table. Charlotte flinched. "What do you want from me? Wanna fuck? Great. Wanna pretend that never happened? Fine. But don't tell me you plan to just sit there and say nothing." Ted reached for a cigarette. He hated smoking in his apartment, but that was how it had to be sometimes, and he didn’t have the energy to care.

Charlotte started sobbing quietly, and Ted softened. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. She took the cigarette from him, and he let her. "I don't know," she said eventually. "I didn't know where else to go."

"A friend's place? I don't know, Charlotte, I'm not an advice guy. I'm just the guy who just made you dinner." He kissed her hair. "Come on, Charlotte. You can't tell you didn't put a little bit of thought into coming here."

She nodded. "I did." She leaned in.

Ted sighed and gave up. He pulled Charlotte up for a kiss, and she didn't resist. And suddenly they were making out in his kitchen, and Charlotte was holding on to his shoulders as though for dear life, and he had both arms around her. And for once, Ted was thinking about Charlotte and how much he'd wanted this. And suddenly he'd pulled her into his lap and they were still kissing and he was thinking about her the way he hadn’t allowed himself, just Charlotte, in his arms, kissing him. He broke the kiss but didn't pull away. "Charlotte." He was breathing heavily, and so was she. "Last chance."

She didn't reply, but she kissed him again, and for the second time, Ted gave up. He adjusted his hold on her and got up, carrying her, and took them both to his bedroom. It didn't take long after that.

Charlotte was awake before him. "Good morning," Ted said when he met her eyes. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine." Charlotte sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. "This has to be the last time, Ted."

"You said that last time." He sat up and rubbed her shoulder. "Do you want breakfast?"

She smiled at him. "That would be nice."

"I'll get it ready." Ted kissed her forehead and got up to get at least partly dressed.

Charlotte came into the kitchen about ten minutes later, fully dressed. "Look at this." She handed him her phone.

He looked at it; a series of texts from Sam asking where she was, ranging from casually curious to concerned, to angry. "What about it? You weren’t supposed to be home at all." He was getting angry at Sam reading it; the last text was just,  _ Where are you? Come home! You're useless. _

"He must’ve heard me last night. I don't know what to tell him." Charlotte sounded on the verge of tears. "I don't know what he's gonna do."

"Does he hit you?" Ted was trying to keep his voice even, but he suspected he was failing. Charlotte didn't answer. "Charlotte, answer my question. Has Sam ever hit you?"

Still no answer, but she started crying. "I don't know what to say."

Ted was not prepared for this scenario. He put his arms around her. "Fuck, Charlotte, I don't— I don't know what to do either." He didn't say any more, just held her while she cried.

Eventually, the tears stilled, and Charlotte freed herself. "I should probably get back to Sam."

"Eat something first." Ted finished breakfast — meaning, he took the toast out of the oven — and handed her a plate. "You'll need the energy."

"Oh. Thanks, Ted." She took the plate and started eating.

Ted also remained standing while eating. He tried to smile encouragingly at Charlotte whenever she met his eyes, but he suspected a good half of them were just grimaces. He wanted nothing more than to keep her there, with him, and not let her go back to Sam, but he wasn't gonna push it. He wasn't a relationship guy, and he wasn't sure he'd change even if Charlotte left her husband. Which she wouldn't.

They finished eating and said their goodbyes. Ted had given up on any sort of pretence; he kissed her goodbye. She turned away a little, so he only kissed her cheek, but she smiled and squeezed his hand.

Ted spent New Year's with Paul and Bill at Bill's house. Paul had brought several bottles of champagne, and Bill had bought booze. Ted had two packs of cigarettes in his jacket; he was smoking too much lately, but he had too much other stuff going on to care.

"What's your resolution for this year, Ted?" Bill asked, after three glasses of champagne.

Ted shrugged. "I don't know. Get laid." He did finger guns with a click of his tongue. "Maybe quit smoking. What about you?"

"Get Alice to visit for more than a day." Ted felt momentarily bad, but shrugged it off; Laura's fault, not his. "Maybe get Laura to let her spend her birthday here since she spent Christmas there."

"Right." Ted looked at Paul. "And you Paul? What do you want in the new year?"

Paul shook his head. "I don't really— I haven't really thought about it, Ted." He shrugged. "I guess I don't really want anything."

"How boring." Ted pulled out a cigarette. "Hey Bill, can I smoke through the window?"

"No, you have to go on the terrace." Bill shrugged. "Sorry, I don't want Alice to smell smoke when she comes around."

"She's damn near old enough that her friends smoke," Ted muttered, but he went outside. He wasn't thinking about Laura. He wasn't thinking about Sam. He wasn't thinking about Charlotte. He wasn't thinking about anything.

Paul came out a few minutes later, when Ted was almost done with his first cigarette. He sat on the foot of a deck chair. "You know, Ted, I'm not blind. You've been avoiding Bill, and you've been avoiding Charlotte. What happened?"

Ted lit another cigarette. "Nothing happened. Nothing that's any of your business."

"Bill is my best friend, and he doesn't know why you've been avoiding him. Why don't you tell me so we can solve it, huh?" Paul looked about as uncomfortable as Ted felt in this conversation, which was a plus. He could end it pretty quickly.

"None of your business, Paul. If Bill wants to know what's up, he can ask me himself. Now beat it, I wanna smoke in peace." He looked up at the sky and ignored Paul, who went back inside a few seconds later.

Ted wasn't thinking about Laura. It was harder to do here, in this house where it had started. It was harder when Bill was there in general, but while in the house it was even worse.

Midnight came and went. They had the TV on for it, and hugged each other awkwardly, but otherwise didn't do much. Ted left at 12.30; he considered Bill and Paul his friends, but he wasn't in the mood for their life.

He'd texted Melissa to say happy New Year around midnight; he sent a similar text to Charlotte when he got home. Nothing ulterior about it, he figured; she was the only person from the office he hadn't contacted. Save Mr. Davidson, but he was their boss, so he didn’t really count.

She texted him back within seconds.  _ Happy New Year. Do you have any plans? _

Ted looked at the text for a moment. It was nearly one. He didn't know what she wanted.  _ Just got back from Bill's, was gonna take an early night. How about you?  _ She could make of that what she wanted.

_ Sam and I are in Clyvesdale for dinner with some of his friends. _ Nothing ulterior from her end either, then. Just being friendly.

Ted did just go to bed. He was tired, and he didn't want to think anymore.

He did dream about Charlotte, but it was a pleasant dream.


	2. Weekends and Endings

Most of January passed uneventfully. Ted started talking to Paul at the office more because, well, Melissa didn't work Fridays and he might as well have someone to eat lunch with. It got harder to avoid Bill, but he decided he didn't really want to. Alice was too old to need watching, but Ted appreciated being able to swing around for dinner once in a while and say hi. He didn't like young children, but something about teenagers' attempt at adulthood made him smile a little. Plus, Alice thought he was cool, and Heaven knew she was the only one.

Melissa was still his friend, and still a godsend whenever he thought too much about Charlotte. And still willing to listen to him talk about her and Sam. And the one time she took him to Clyvesdale to go shopping and they met Laura, she held his hand and called him sweetheart, which made Laura leave very quickly.

And then there was Charlotte. Who talked to him at work and smiled when he brought her coffee and went smoking with him sometimes, but she never acknowledged what had happened between them, and she never texted him.

Until one Saturday morning in early February.  _ Sam is gone for the weekend. _

Ted looked at his phone; he wanted to ignore her, but then again. He wasn't known for making good decisions.  _ So? _

_ Do you want to come by? I'm making lunch. _

He didn't want to. And more importantly, he shouldn't.  _ I'll be there in an hour. _ Time for a shower and some coffee, and maybe start a load of laundry. He had no reason to dress nice for Charlotte, but he wanted to, and that would be the last of his work-appropriate shirts. He’d just have to hope no one needed the laundry machines while he was gone.

An hour later, he was in the entryway at Charlotte's apartment. He hung his jacket and took off his shoes, then walked into the kitchen were Charlotte was cooking. "Hey Charlotte," he said. He put his arms around her; he wasn't willing to play anymore. He was here to fuck.

"Oh Ted." She batted lightly at his hands, but she was smiling and didn't actually step away.

"What are you making?" He kissed her cheek and rested his chin on her shoulder. She was shorter than him, enough so that it was slightly awkward, but he took pleasure in the fact that she leaned her cheek against his.

"I'm just making chicken and pasta." He couldn't see her face, but he could feel her smile. She turned around, still in his arms. "Thank you for coming, Ted."

"You're welcome, Charlotte." He kissed her. She put her hands on his shoulders and held on, and Ted pulled her away from the stove so that he could back her up against the table. He usually wasn't the type to spend time making out, especially not with the potential for a spouse returning, but Charlotte was nothing but exceptions.

"Charlotte." He stopped kissing her, but didn't step back.

"Shush, Ted, no talking right now." She pulled him in again.

He broke the kiss again. "Charlotte, it smells burnt."

"Oh!" She freed herself and moved to the stove. "I didn't even realise." She was blushing.

Ted chuckled. "That's alright, I don't really care." He put his hands on her hips and kissed her neck. "It's a little early for lunch anyway, there are other things we could be doing."

"Like what, Ted? I don't really—"

"Talk," he interrupted. "Fuck." He kissed her neck again.

"You're such a horny bastard, Ted." She switched off the stove.

"Hey, I'm right." He put his arms around her properly as she turned around. "That's what I'm here for." He kissed her.

For someone who'd just called Ted a horny bastard, Charlotte was going fast. Ted was vaguely trying to maneuver them to the bedroom, and he managed, but by the time they got there, both Ted's shirt and Charlotte's dress were on the floor.

When they were done, Charlotte curled up and looked at Ted. She pushed his hair out of his face. "I shouldn't be doing this," she whispered.

"No one's making you." He caught her hand and held it away. "You need to make up your mind. I'm not gonna keep doing this if you're just gonna talk about your scumbag husband every time, alright?" He patted her cheek. "I'm here to fuck, your choice if it happens."

Charlotte scooted away a little. "Ted, you know it's not that simple."

"Not that simple?" Ted sat up and looked at her. He couldn’t quite distract himself from how hot she was, which absolutely wasn’t helping. "It is that simple, Charlotte. Either you wanna have sex with me — and given what's been happening here, I think you do — or you don't. And if you do, here I am!" He threw his arms out. "Take me. And if you don't, well then maybe you shouldn't do it." He glared at her for a moment, then softened. "I'm not angry. I just don't wanna talk about  _ Sam _ when we're fucking."

She reached out. Ted took her hands. "I'm sorry Ted, I didn't realise." She wasn't meeting his eyes. "I don't know who else to talk to."

He sighed and kissed her hand. "We can talk him, just not in bed, alright?" He reached out to rub her shoulder. "Come on, get dressed, I'm hungry, I'll finish lunch." He got up and started getting dressed.

"Alright, Ted." She got up as well. "Alright."

They helped each other finish cooking. There was actual chatting and casual kisses in between, and Ted could almost convince himself that he could one day have a normal with her. He wasn’t sure he wanted to, but it sure was a nice thought.

Then, while they were eating, she brought him up again. "You know, Sam isn't coming home until Monday morning, so you can stay a couple nights if you'd like."

"I'd need to go home and get some stuff, but yeah." Ted raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to." It sure was a turn of pace from what she’d been doing so far, pretending that nothing had happened pretty much as soon as they were done.

Charlotte nodded. "I want things to work with Sam. I love him. But I just don't know how to resist you." She smiled, probably trying to be flirtatious.

Ted sighed. Less than ideal, but he'd take it. "Alright then. I'll go grab my stuff then. See you in half an hour." He put his plate away, kissed Charlotte goodbye, and left.

"See you, Ted."

He smoked on the way home, because he'd been smoking a lot lately. Just one, though. He texted Melissa that he was gonna be at Charlotte's all weekend, so no Sunday coffee, which had otherwise become an unofficial tradition. She replied with a handful of question marks, which he ignored.

When he returned, Charlotte had cleared the table and done the dishes. She was putting on the coffee when Ted stepped in.

"I'm back." Ted left his bag in the entryway and walked into the kitchen. "You haven't put sugar in the pot, have you?" She'd done so at the office a few times, and Ted hated it.

"Of course not." She hip checked him as she walked to the cabinet to get cups. "Don't worry, I know how you like your coffee."

Ted smiled. "Thank you, Charlotte." He caught her in a quick kiss.

They sat on the couch with their coffee. Charlotte turned on the TV, and they let it run in the background while they talked. Ted had his arm around Charlotte the entire time, and she kept her hand on his knee, too. He tried not to think about Sam, but it wasn't easy, given that Charlotte couldn't shut up about the guy. He let her talk, though; she probably needed it. Counselling, and how Sam refused, how he was never home and apparently cheating on her, how a drink after work sometimes became five, and how he was when drunk.

The only time Ted interrupted was when she mentioned, offhand, that he'd hit her once. "What? Charlotte, come on, if he hits you… He's a bad person, Charlotte!"

"He didn't mean it." She patted his knee. "It was only one time, and he was very drunk. He apologised and everything."

"Charlotte…" Ted tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Well, if he ever hits you again, you're dealing with it, promise me, Charlotte."

"It's none of your business, Ted."

"It isn't," he agreed, because, well, it wasn't. "I just care about you, and you deserve better." He was admitting that he cared, now.

"I'm cheating on my husband, Ted, I deserve anything."

"No, Charlotte, come on, listen to me. I'm not saying you should be with someone who gives you the world or whatever, I’m just saying that you deserve better than some piece of shit sorry excuse for a man that hits you and hurts your feelings.” Ted leaned away a little. He was getting worked up about Sam again, but he really wished she could see that he cared about her and about her happiness. “I’m not a good person, Charlotte, but dammit, I’ve never hit anyone.” That was technically a lie, but Ted figured that punching a bully when he was in middle school didn’t really count. Not in this context.

Charlotte was shaking. Ted reflexively lit a cigarette and handed it to her. She accepted. “Thank you, Ted. I, I don’t think you’re wrong but I, well, I love Sam. I don’t want anyone else, I just want him to be better.”

“Well, he won’t be.” Ted lit another cigarette for himself. “And the sooner you realise, the sooner you can be happy.” He looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room; it was not yet 3pm, and they were already fighting. It would be a long weekend.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while smoking. Ted wasn’t thinking about how Charlotte looked earlier, smiling and blushing when he kissed her cheek. Instead, he thought about Sam, and how awful of a husband he had to be for such a simple gesture to make her giggle like a schoolgirl. And then he thought about how he was thoroughly fucked, because something that simple had made him, Ted, want to make her smile like that again. And then he thought about how stupid it was that he was sitting next to Charlotte and not talking to her.

“Charlotte, I’m sorry, alright. You’re right, none of my business.” He reached out his hand.

She took it. “It’s alright, Ted. Drink your coffee now, before it gets cold.”

It already was, but he knocked it back anyway. He grimaced at the taste, and Charlotte laughed a little. It was almost worth it, then. Almost. Cold coffee was disgusting.

That seemed to be enough to break the tension. Charlotte leaned back in, and Ted wrapped an arm around her, and they started talking again, about work and their friends and Hatchetfield, and not about Sam, not about bad relationships and what someone deserved.

The afternoon slipped away into evening like that. Ted offered to cook dinner, but Charlotte insisted that they do it together, at least. It was obvious to Ted that she was used to cooking alone, as was he, so they clashed a little, but they took it lightly. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Charlotte laugh that much; she was positively giggling several times.

They ate dinner in the living room, sitting on the couch. Charlotte made some comment about Sam being mad, and Ted said, “Fuck Sam!” and they ate there anyway.

They watched a movie, after that. Ted was laying on the couch with Charlotte on top of him, holding her. He let her pick the movie.

Ted didn’t pay attention to the movie, not much; it was some weird high school drama. He did, however, pay attention to Charlotte. To the way she smiled when the main girl did something charming, the way she laughed at the jokes and, most importantly, the way she blushed and smiled whenever he brushed her hair out of her face or kissed her cheek. He enjoyed it, and he didn’t know why. He had sort of accepted that he was into her, but it wasn’t until then that he realised just how much. Of course the first person he’d fallen for since college was married, that was just perfect. But he did have a thing for married women, and well, he couldn’t say he was surprised. He just wished it had been someone he could be with, instead of someone who stubbornly refused to leave an abusive husband.

When the movie ended, Charlotte suggested they go for a walk. Ted agreed, mostly because he needed to get outside. He realised as they left the apartment how quickly he’d become accustomed to acting like a lover around her; he kept having to stop himself from taking her hand or kissing her. But he made no faux passes.

They went to bed when they came back. Ted had expected them to just sleep, but when he reached out to pull Charlotte closer to him, he realised that she had other ideas. He appreciated it, though; he appreciated he wasn’t the one to start it. He liked sex, and he had no problem initiating, but there was still something inherently better about Charlotte saying that she wanted him, about her being the one who tugged at their clothes as though it couldn’t get away fast enough, her being nowhere near patient enough for Ted to grab a condom but waiting for him anyway, her being enthusiastically and unquestionably  _ into _ the whole scenario.

Charlotte looked at him afterwards with a flushed face and a shyness that contrasted her earlier eagerness. “Can we keep doing this, Ted?”

It was the first time she’d acknowledged that there might be a next time. Ted smiled and pushed her hair out of her face, cradling her cheek with one hand. “Of course we can. We have to be careful, but we can do it. As long as we want.” He kissed her forehead.

“Right. As long as we… Thank you, Ted.”

“For what?”   
“For… For being here. Goodnight Ted.”   
“Goodnight.” He kissed her again, then pulled her to his chest to sleep.

The next morning, Ted got to have the experience of waking up with Charlotte in his arms, and her not immediately pulling away from him. Instead, she smiled shyly. "Good morning Ted."

"Good morning Charlotte." He kissed her. And then he kissed her again, just because he could, and he was in a good mood.

Charlotte giggled. "I was gonna make a big breakfast, but I think I'd rather stay here and then eat cereal." She was smiling in the soft, almost blissful way that Ted had learned to recognise. The way she only ever seemed to smile when they were alone.

"I can agree to that." He pulled her closer. "Why don't I show you a good time on this fine morning?"

"Oh, Ted." She batted at his shoulder lightly, giggling. "You're such a— oh!" She gasped as he pushed her onto her back and started going down on her.

He didn't quite know if he should be proud of himself for how easily he got her off, or feel sorry for her for getting off so easily. Either way, it took less than three minutes, and he'd expected a lot longer. But he laid down next to her and smiled.

"Ted!" Charlotte was clearly both flustered and pleased. "What was that for?"

"You didn't like it?" He traced lines on her arm. "I apologise."

"No, of course I  _ liked  _ it." She took his hand and laced their fingers together. "I just, you didn't have to do that."

Ted shrugged. "I enjoy it." He kissed her forehead. "Tell me anytime you want another round. I think I need a shower, do you wanna come?"

Charlotte smiled and nodded. They went to the bathroom to shower.

In Ted's experience, shower sex didn't work as well as it should, so he tended to avoid it. That didn't mean he didn't keep Charlotte pinned to the wall of the shower cubicle while making out with her for a good few minutes, water running. It was the best shower he'd taken in months, although he probably didn't get as clean as he would've liked.

They ate breakfast sitting cross-legged on the kitchen floor. Ted made a bad joke which made Charlotte laugh, so he made a few more. He suspected she didn’t laugh much normally, so he was determined to get her to laugh as much as possible.

The day was spent much as the one before. They mostly had a lot of sex, but sometimes they’d have quiet and sweet moments, sharing cigarettes, cooking together, eating, going for walks. Ted hated how sappy he was around Charlotte, but he also knew he’d have to go back home and pretend that none of it happened, so he accepted that it was happening. He didn’t tell Charlotte, though; he figured she needed to believe they were just fucking.

She offered him to stay the night again, but he decided to leave. He wanted to stay, but although he wasn’t good at exercising self control around Charlotte, he managed it this time. So he left around midnight, kissing her goodbye and saying something generic about repeating the experience. She held his hand for a few seconds before letting him go.

He texted Melissa when he got home.  _ Are you up? I need to talk. _ She was usually in bed long before him, but it was worth a shot.

When she hadn’t answered an hour later, he went to bed.

Melissa caught him before lunch the next day. “Come on, we’re going out for lunch.” She linked their arms together. “There’s talking to be done.”

“Right.” Ted adjusted her grip on his arm a little. He caught Charlotte’s eye and smiled at her; she looked back wide-eyed and unsmiling. “Let’s go.”

“So,” Melissa said when they were in his car. “What did you need to talk about? Everything okay?”   
“Yeah, yeah. Mind if I smoke?” She shook her head, so he lit a cigarette while driving. “I spent the weekend with Charlotte. I should stop seeing her.”   
“Why? I thought you liked her.”   
“I do, I do. That’s not it. But she’s married, you know.” Cigarette smoke filled the car, and Ted was happy that he was driving so he didn’t have to look at her.

Melissa scoffed. “Has that ever stopped you before?”   
“That was different.”   
“Different how?” She batted his arm. “Come on, Ted, what’s the problem? Talk to me.”   
Ted pulled up in front of Richie’s. “Right.” He got out of the car and waited for Melissa. “It’s different with her. With Laura, and with everyone else for that matter, I never did something like this. I never wanted to.”

They interrupted their conversation for a moment to order. Once they sat down, Melissa looked at him seriously. “Are you in love with Charlotte?”   
“No, not at all.” He wasn’t. He just liked her. “But she’s my friend. Laura was never my friend. The longest actual conversation I had with her without having sex was when I ran into her at the movie theatre two months ago. But Charlotte and I talk and we went for walks and cooked together, and that’s not me. Not when she’s married.”

Melissa looked at him for a long time. Their food arrived, and neither of them spoke. Then, finally, she broke the silence. “Then don’t see her. Tell her no next time. Or tell her now. You don’t have to see her.”

“Melissa. Come on. Have you met me?” Ted wished he could smoke in the restaurant. “I don’t know how.”   
“Give me your phone.” She held out her hand. “Come on, I won’t send anything.” She beckoned.

Ted sighed, but gave her his phone. “Don’t send anything. Password’s your birthday.”   
“Why mine?”   
“Same as my mother’s.” Ted shrugged. “What are you doing anyway?”

Melissa was typing faster with one hand that Ted could with two. “I’m writing a message for Charlotte. Then you can edit to make it sound like you and send it after work. Done.” She handed the phone back to him.

_ Hey Char. I’m sorry, but as long as you’re married, I don’t wanna do this. I’ve had fun with you. See you at work. _

“So that doesn’t sound like me at all.” Ted deleted the message and typed out another.  _ Sorry Charlotte, this isn’t working out. See you. _ He looked at it for a moment. “Yeah, that’s fine.” He didn’t send it, but he pocketed his phone. “Is that all you want me to do?”   
“I don’t know, I can’t read your mind. I don’t know what you need. Is it gonna make you feel better?”   
“Probably not.” Ted really wished he could smoke. “I don’t know, Melissa. Just because I shouldn’t see her doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

“That’s on you, Ted.” Melissa finished her salad. “Come on, we have to get back.”

Ted paid for both of them and smoked in the car on the way back. Melissa didn’t say anything, but she gave him a hug before they went back in the building.

Ted was laying on his couch that evening after dinner, staring at the text he’d written for Charlotte. Melissa was right; he was better off without her. But he didn’t want to send it.

He ended up sending her something else.  _ You know, as long as you’re married, I’m fine with fucking, but spending time outside of that doesn’t work. _ It wasn’t good, but it was there.

She answered almost immediately.  _ Alright Ted. But I had fun this weekend. _

_ Me too, but it doesn’t work. Get a divorce and we’ll talk. _ He switched off his phone, not wanting to deal with it.


	3. New Routines

Over the course of the next few months, Ted’s life fell into a routine. He went to work, had lunch with Melissa, or Paul when she wasn’t there, then went home. He accompanied Paul to Beanie’s a lot; Emma, the woman he’d hooked up with back in December, was working there, but after their first interaction, they both acted like they just knew each other for other reasons. He’d asked for her number as a joke, but she hadn’t given it to him. Sometimes he’d go to Clyvesdale, or Melissa would convince him to do something. Other times, not as often, he’d go grab a beer with Paul and sometimes Bill, or help with Alice and her school; unlike Bill, Ted had taken math in college and actually knew how to help. And every few weeks a text would tick in from Charlotte that she was alone, and he’d get in his car and drive out there to fuck her. He always left afterwards, even though she offered to let him stay the night, and he always refused her making food for him or doing anything with her. He hated that he didn’t see her smile as much as he used to.

Easter came and went. Ted got to spend four days doing absolutely nothing but going to church, and not seeing or talking to anyone from work.

Then one night, around midnight mid-May, someone knocked on his door. Charlotte was standing outside. “What are you doing here?” He was tempted to close the door in her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Sam is drunk and he’s, he’s…” She was crying.

Ted looked at her for a few seconds. He could turn her away. Then he saw the bruise forming on her cheekbone. “Come in.” He stepped aside. “Did he hit you again? Charlotte?”

She nodded, still blubbering. “Come on.” He pulled her into a hug. “Come here.” He held her close for a few seconds, then led her to the couch. “What happened?”

She was sobbing and smoking, but she got through the story of how Sam had come home drunk and had yelled at her when she asked where he’d been. She had tried to calm him down, but things had escalated, and he’d hit her. She’d left before he had a chance to apologise or do it again. Ted had to let go of her as she spoke, clenching his fists at his side.

“You can stay here.” He forced himself to relax so that he could hold her. “You can’t go back, Charlotte, come on. You have to see that he’s bad for you. This won’t be the last time, you know.”   
“I know.” Charlotte finished her third cigarette and immediately lit a new one. “I just don’t know what else to do.”

“It’s called divorce, Charlotte, I’ve been telling you for six months now.” Ted took the cigarette from her and took a drag. “Staying with him isn’t making you happy.”   
“I want it to.” She took the cigarette back. “I love him.”   
“I know.” Ted wasn’t really in the mood. “Come on, it’s late and we have work in the morning, we need sleep.” He took the cigarette, finished it, and put it out. “You can figure it out in the morning.” 

“Right. Thanks for letting me stay.” Charlotte walked to his bedroom.

“Of course.” Ted stopped in the door. “Goodnight Charlotte. I’ll see you tomorrow.”   
“What do you mean?” She was sitting on the edge of the bed already.

“I’m gonna sleep in the guest room.” He shrugged. He wasn’t invested in actually doing so, but he was already bending his own rules, so he felt like making some show of resistance. He hoped she wouldn’t push it.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Won’t you stay with me?”

He sighed. “Of course, Charlotte.” He went into the room, taking off his shirt. He was honestly happy he got to sleep in the bed; the one in the guest room was bad for his back.

For once, they didn’t have sex. Instead, he just held her. He didn’t want to feel the kind of peace he did when he woke up and she was still curled up against his chest, but he still took a moment to savour it before moving away and turning off his alarm.

He got a raised eyebrow from Melissa when he and Charlotte arrived together, but otherwise no one seemed to notice.

Charlotte went home to Sam, and Ted didn’t talk to her for two weeks. And when he did, they just had sex again. His place, this time. He didn’t let her stay the night.

Melissa was hounding him about it. “You’re smoking too much,” she’d say one Tuesday at lunch. “Are you guys even talking anymore?” she’d ask one Sunday at coffee. She never let him off the hook.

One day, a July Saturday in Clyvesdale, Ted finally had enough. “Melissa, I don’t wanna talk about Charlotte anymore, okay? Not any of your business. I’ll tell you when I wanna talk.”

“Alright.” She looked slightly put off. “I’m just worried about you.”   
“I know, and thank you. Come on, what was that necklace you talked about getting? For your sister, right?”   
“Aunt. It’s over here.” Melissa dragged him over to look at jewelry. “Actually it’s for my girlfriend.”

“Alright. Why’d you say it was for your aunt then?” Ted was looking at the necklace Melissa had pointed at. “It’s pretty.”   
“Ted, I’m trying to come out to you.” Melissa was staring at him. “And you’re completely ignoring me.”

“I’m not, it’s just not a big deal. You’re queer, so what. So am I.” Ted pointed at a bracelet next to the necklace. “This one is a lot nicer, though, but I don’t know your girlfriend, I don’t know what she likes.”

“She doesn’t like bracelets.” Melissa sighed. “I’ll introduce you to her one day, but she’s not in Hatchetfield at the moment, she’s coming back in a few months. Also, I’m a lesbian, for reference.”

“Yeah, and I’m bisexual. So, the present for your girlfriend?” Ted could care less about Melissa’s sexual orientation, and his own. He just wanted a nice afternoon with his friend.

And he got it. He wasn’t thinking about Charlotte.

It was late August before Ted had a proper conversation with Charlotte again. And it wasn’t really a proper conversation; he was sitting alone for lunch because Melissa wasn’t in on Fridays, and Paul was sick, and she came and sat across from him.

“Hey Charlotte.”   
“Hi Ted. I have… Well, I don’t know if you think they’re good news, but I do.” She started unpacking her lunch.

“What is it?”

“I finally convinced Sam to go to counselling.” She was smiling.

Ted wanted to be happy for her, but mostly he just felt resigned. At least she was smiling again. “That’s great Charlotte. I hope it works out for you, I really do.” He hoped she’d leave.

“Well, I was thinking, I probably won’t see you as much now. So I just wanted to say it.”   
“We still work together.” He managed a smile. “But yes, you’re right. I’m happy for you, Charlotte, I really am.”

Ted got very drunk that weekend. Melissa was a godsend; she stayed over and kept him from doing anything extraordinarily stupid. She didn’t accompany him to the pub Saturday night, but she did shake her head at the woman he brought home. Melissa disappeared into the guest room and told him not to talk to her until the next day. Fortunately, the woman — he legitimately forgot her name — took the hint and didn’t stay the night.

Melissa made him breakfast that Sunday and forced him to come with her for Sunday coffee. He was pretty sure she didn’t really want to, but he appreciated her effort.

Melissa was pretty much everything that kept Ted’s life together for the next two weeks. He didn’t see her more than usual, but she kept him sane, and forced him to think about other things. And she didn’t have time for his bullshit.

September came and went, and Ted got back in a routine. It was pretty much the same as his old routine, except it didn’t involve sleeping with Charlotte. He also wasn’t thinking about her.

Mid-October, Bill hosted a small Halloween party at his house. Alice was gonna there with one of her friends, Melissa and Paul both promised to come, and Charlotte had to decline. It was the best excuse Ted had had to get out in ages.

Alice opened the door for him. “Ted!” She gave him a hug.

“Hey kid.” He ruffled up her hair a bit. “How have you been?”

“Pretty good. Come on in, dad’s out to pick up sour cream because we didn’t have any, but come on in. You’re the first one here.” She let Ted in.

He hung his jacket, making sure Alice didn’t see the cigarettes in the pocket. She was almost seventeen, but he still had some sort of investment in being a good example. “Are your friends here?”

“Just Deb.” Alice suddenly looked slightly nervous. “Actually, Ted, can I tell you something? You can’t tell my dad.”   
“Of course.” Ted followed Alice into the living room where a girl around Alice’s age was sitting. “What’s up?”   
“Well this is Deb, my— My girlfriend.” Alice gestured to the girl, still fidgeting.

Ted smiled and put a hand out to Deb. “Hi Deb, I’m Ted. Good to see you.” Deb shook his hand and smiled a bit. Alice was still fidgeting, so he put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Alice, I won’t tell your dad. But I think you should, I don’t think he would disapprove.” Ted gave Deb a quick once-over; overalls, a punk shirt, just a hint of the smell of pot. “Well, at least not because she’s a girl, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Alice gave him a hug. “Are you sure? I don’t know, he’s never said anything, and I’m a lesbian, I don’t know how to tell him.”

Ted patted her back. “Hey. It’s fine. Your dad isn't always great, but I don’t think this is something he’ll be mad about.” He looked at Deb. “You might wanna consider not smelling like pot, though.”

She laughed. “Yeah, well, didn’t have much time.”

Ted tossed her a stick of gum. “I know it won’t take it out of your clothes, but it’s something.” He freed himself from Alice. “You know, I had a boyfriend when I first started working with your dad, he never said a thing. I know it’s different ‘cause you’re his daughter or whatever, but I don’t think it’ll be awful.”

“Right.” Alice nodded, looking a lot calmer. “Wait, you had a boyfriend?”

“It’s called being bisexual, Alice.” He sat on the couch next to Deb.

She rolled her eyes at him. “I figured as much, it was more the idea of you being in a relationship.” She sat down on the other side of Deb, who put an arm around her. “Mom was very disappointed in you for that, by the way.”   
Ted coughed a bit to hide his surprise. He’d suspected Alice knew about him and Laura, but he wasn’t expecting her to be so calm about it. “Yeah.” He was happy he didn’t have a drink. “I’m not sure what she expected.”

Deb had half an eyebrow raised, looking between Ted and Alice. “What’s that about.”   
“Oh, Ted is the reason my parents split up.” Alice smiled.

Ted wished he had a drink. “Your mother is the reason your parents split up, I really had very little to do with it.”   
“You’re the one who slept with her.” The doorbell rang, and Alice got up to open.

Deb was looking at Ted. “Did you?”

He nodded. “And Bill doesn’t know it was me, so we’re keeping quiet about it, alright?”

“Of course.” Deb looked almost anxiously at the newcomer; Melissa.

“Oh, hey, Melissa.” Ted got up to give her a hug.

“Fuck off, Ted.” She hugged him tightly. “You’re hanging out with teenagers now?”

“Both of these girls are cooler than you, and I’ve only known Deb for seven minutes.” Ted sat back down on the couch. “Take a seat.”

Melissa took a chair across from the other three. “Hey Alice. You must be Deb, then?”

Deb nodded. Alice sent an unsure glance at Ted, who nodded encouragingly; Melissa, of all people, would be cool. “Deb is my girlfriend,” she said, slightly softly.

“Oh nice.” Melissa smiled, then looked seriously at Deb. “You take care of her now. It’s so hard to find nice girls in Hatchetfield.”

Deb chuckled. “Alice lives in Clyvesdale now. I’m pretty sure I’m the only lesbian in Hatchetfield.”   
Melissa put out her hand for Deb to shake. “Hi. Melissa, lesbian.”

“Hi, Deb, lesbian.” They shook hands.

Ted looked around. “I mean, statistically we’re not the only four queer people in Hatchetfield, but it feels unlikely that we’re all here.”   
Just then, the door opened, and Bill came in. “Alice!” he called from the hall. “Has anyone arrived?”   
“Ted and Melissa are here,” Alice yelled back. “We’re waiting for Paul still.”

“Alright. Hi, hey guys, glad you could come.” Bill walked through the living room. “I just need to fix the food, I’ll be right there.”

“Actually dad.” Alice stood up. “I’m sure Deb and Melissa can make dip, there’s something I need to tell you.”   
“We absolutely can.” Melissa got up from her chair and gestured for Deb to follow her. “Come on, you can help taste test.” They both went to the kitchen, Melissa taking the bag from the grocery store from Bill’s hands as she walked past him.

“What’s up Alice?” Bill didn’t seem to really notice that Ted was still sitting on the couch. He suspected Alice had wanted him in the room as a buffer, so he stayed quiet and ready to jump in to support her.

“Well, dad, um.” Alice was pacing a little. She looked at Ted. “Can you tell him?”   
“Unfortunately not.” He smiled encouragingly at her. “It’s fine.”   
“What’s wrong. Why do  _ you _ know?” Bill pointed accusingly at Ted, who let it slide.

Alice sat down abruptly. “Deb and I are dating.”

Bill stared for a few seconds. “ _ Deb _ ? You’re dating  _ Deb _ ?”

Alice nodded. “I’m a lesbian.” She looked very small.

Ted was about to say something when Bill spoke again. “I don’t care if you’re a lesbian, but  _ Deb _ ? I think she’s a bad influence.”

Alice looked at Ted, panic in her eyes. “She’s sixteen, Bill, she’s smart enough to realise. Don’t tell me you didn’t have some questionable girlfriends in high school.” Ted raised an eyebrow.

Bill sighed. “Alright. But I want you to be careful, Alice.”   
“Yeah.” She sighed deeply. “Alright, that was all. We can go help Melissa and Deb carry in snacks now.”

They all went to the kitchen to help get the snacks ready. Paul arrived a few minutes later, and the little odd gathering continued with the fun.

Alice came up to Ted at some point after dinner. “Hey, can you get me and Deb a bit of alcohol? Dad won’t let us have any.”   
Ted, who had already had a few whiskies, shook his head. “No.”   
Alice pouted. “Why not? You usually do.”   
“Because I’ve been drinking, which means I can’t be responsible. Catch me while I’m still sober next time.” He patted her shoulder. “And listen to your dad a little bit.”   
“Just a little bit?”   
“Just a little bit,” he confirmed. He lowered his voice a little. “Hey, tell your girlfriend not to climb out your window to smoke next time, we can see her from the living room.”

“Oh.” Alice nodded. “Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome.” Ted returned to the table to talk to Paul about something he could care less about.

The day after the Halloween party, Ted started going through various drawers to find an old business card. He remembered going to a queer bar/cafe in Clyvesdale with a guy a few years back, and he wanted to let Alice know. He didn’t know if it still existed, but if he could find the card, he could look it up.

He found it and checked it out online; still existed, still the same address. Perfect.

Ted went up to Bill’s desk that Monday at work. “Hey Bill.”   
“Hi Ted. Can I help you?”

“I guess, yeah. Can you give this to Alice next time you see her?” He handed him the business card. “I used to go there with my boyfriend, it’s very kid-friendly. There is alcohol, but they check IDs, and it’s a non-smoking place.”   
“I don’t know.” Bill looked at the business card for a few seconds. “I don’t want to encourage her going to clubs.”   
“It’s a cafe.” Ted sighed and leaned in, lowering his voice. “Look, if I’d had a place like that when I was sixteen, I’d have been much happier in high school, alright. Do your daughter a favour.” He patted Bill on the shoulder and walked back to his own desk before he could reply.

He got a text from an unknown number that night.  _ Thanks for the business card! -Alice _ . A few seconds later.  _ I stole your number out of mom’s phone. _

Ted laughed a little, but he coded in her number.  _ You’re welcome. Use it responsibly _ . He was a little unsettled by Laura still having his number saved — he sure didn’t have hers — but he brushed it off. She might just be the kind of person who never deleted numbers.

October became November, and the cold began to set in for real. Ted and Charlotte weren’t really talking, but he watched her sometimes, and she didn’t seem any happier. He wanted to ask her about it, but he didn’t.

He promised Alice and Deb to take them to the cafe the weekend before thanksgiving. He picked up Deb at her house first; her parents seemed very concerned that a guy in his late 20’s was picking up their teenage daughter, for which Ted was weirdly grateful. Deb explained that he was Alice’s uncle — not entirely true, but functional — and they let her go. Deb DJ’ed while Ted drove them to Clyvesdale to pick up Alice.

It was the first time he’d been to Laura’s house, and he decided to stay in the car and let Deb go get her. Once he had both the girls, Ted drove to the cafe.

He bought them both coffee, but more or less left them alone; this was probably the first time they could have a proper date, and he wasn’t gonna intrude. Instead, he found a seat at one of the big communal tables and sat.

Within minutes, a younger man took a seat across from Ted. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Leo.” He held out a hand.

Ted shook it. “Ted.”

“What brings you here today, Ted?” Leo was clearly flirting, and clearly bad at it. He was maybe 22 and evidently not used to this.

Ted decided to humour him a little; he’d never experienced anyone trying to pick up dates in a place like this, and he suspected Leo was in for a few rejections. “My niece deserved a proper date with her girlfriend.” Ted gestured to the table where Alice and Deb were sharing a tray of muffins. He’d slipped Deb a 20 before they picked up Alice and told her to do something nice; he was happy to see she was following up. “I used to come here, I figured it was a nice place to bring them.”

Leo glanced over at the girls. “How come you don’t come here anymore?”   
Ted shrugged. “I live over in Hatchetfield, it’s a little far to drive for coffee. It was fine when I had a boyfriend, this is a good place for a date, but now I don’t, so.” He considered telling Leo to fuck off, but then decided, fuck it, he was gonna have to spend a few hours. “What brings you here?”

“I’m new in town, I was hoping to find some people.” He smiled. “Not the right place to hook up, I take it?”

Ted shook his head. “Not really. There’s a club somewhere, I think, and then all the regular bars. It’s fine.” Ted didn’t have any strong preferences, but women were easier. He tried to remember the last time he’d hooked up with a guy; it had been years. “We’re a bit far out for this to be a good place to be queer.”

“Right.” Leo drummed on the table a little. “Hey, let me get you a refill. As a thanks for the advice.”

“Sure.” Ted shrugged. “Just some kind of sweet latte.”

Leo winked and took both their cups to the bar. He returned a minute later with their coffees.

“Thanks,” Ted said as he accepted the coffee. “You know, not only is this a bad place to hook up, it’s also a bad time. Like, come on Leo, it’s 4pm on a Saturday. Maybe in six hours there’ll be someone who’s interested, but if I were you, I’d head to a club.”

“You’re really just here for those girls, huh?” Leo looked slightly disappointed.

Ted nodded. “Plus, you’re a bit young for me, what are you, 21?” He intentionally shot low.

“Yeah, nice guess.” Jeez, he was 21. “I don’t know, how old are you? 25?”   
“I’m 28, and I don’t hook up with people younger than me.” Ted scrawled his phone number on a napkin. “Hit me up if you ever need a wingman. I’m gonna get some work done. Thanks for the coffee.” Ted moved to one of the smaller tables by himself and took out his phone, pretending to do stuff. In actuality, he sent a series of texts to Melissa about the interaction with Leo.

Alice and Deb came over an hour or so later; they’d promised Laura they’d be back in time to help with dinner. Ted double checked with Deb that her parents weren’t expecting her home, and then drove to Laura’s to drop them off.

“Hey, Alice?” he said as they were about to leave the car. “Did you tell your mom that you were going with me?”   
“Nope. Should I?”   
“No, you very much shouldn’t.” Ted shook his head a little at himself. “Have a good evening, girls. See you around.”   
“See you,” they chorused, and Ted drove away.

That year's Christmas party was almost as sad as the last one. Almost.

Bill wasn't as depressed, for one. He and Paul were chatting amiably, Ted occasionally joining. Melissa wasn't expecting him to try and sleep with her, and they were good friends, so she was a lot more fun to be around. Mr. Davidson was, once again, slow dancing with his wife, except this time they'd also been exposed to their rather graphic makeout session. Charlotte was there alone; Sam had apparently cancelled last minute, Melissa had said, when Ted had asked her to ask. He hadn't exchanged more than two words with Charlotte since August, not really, and it was weird. Mostly because he suspected he was still into her, which was way too long. For him especially.

He tried to convince Melissa to keep him company while he smoked, but she insisted that it was too cold, so he went alone.

A minute later, Charlotte joined him. "Oh hi Ted." She smiled slightly. "I didn't even realise you were out here."

He smiled back at her, tight-lipped and forced. "Hey Charlotte." His voice was softer than he expected. Her hands were shaking too much to properly light the cigarette, and Ted reflexively reached out to help her, then stopped himself. "May I?"

"Oh. Thank you." She handed him the cigarette and lighter, and he lit it for her before handing back both. "Thank you, Ted."

"Don't mention it." She was standing too close.

"You know, Ted, we haven't talked much lately. I know we weren't— I know some things happened, but you're still my friend, you know."

Ted sighed. "Sure Charlotte. How's counselling working out for you?" It was a low blow and he knew it.

She got very quiet. He could see the glow of her cigarette out the corner of his eye, bobbing wildly up and down as her hands shook. "It isn't really," she said finally. "Sam cancelled last week, he uhh, he's been skipping out on everything. Now he says he doesn't wanna do it anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He really wasn't, or at least only as far as he was sorry she was upset.

To his surprise, she picked up on his insincerity. "No you're not. You wanted this." She wasn't looking at him, and there was no real anger in her voice.

"I wanted you to be happy. I knew this was just wasting time." Technically true. "I'm sorry it's not working out for you." Charlotte didn't reply. "But I'm happy we're talking again."

"You're the one who didn't wanna talk, Ted." Charlotte still wasn't looking at him, so Ted looked away from her as well.

"I know." He took a drag of the cigarette to buy time, then another. "I know."

They finished smoking in silence, but Charlotte did wait for him before going inside. They didn't talk for the rest of the evening, just exchanged half-smiles across the room. It was an improvement.

Over the next couple weeks, Ted and Charlotte started talking again. Just at the office, and just exchanging pleasantries, but they were talking.

Christmas came and went. Ted stayed home alone. Melissa dropped by Christmas Eve's Day to say hi and exchange presents. Then she left to visit her parents, but not before inviting him to spend New Year's with her and her friends.

He did. He showed up at Melissa's house on New Year's Eve with no idea of what to expect.

A woman he'd never met opened the door. "Oh, you must be Ted." She let him in. "I'm Christina."

"Hi." He shook her hand. "Is Melissa here?"

"Of course, come on." Christina led him to the living room where Melissa was sitting with five other people.

"Ted, hi!" She got up to give him a hug. "You've met Christina, she's my girlfriend."

"Nice, nice." Ted sent an extra smile at Christina; he’d been waiting to meet her for months. "Who's everyone else?"

"Right." Melissa did an introduction round. Ted had forgotten most of the names by the time she was done, with the exception of Christina and a guy named Rory.

As the evening progressed he learned that Christina's sister Mary was one of the people there, and that the other guy was called Luke. There were still two women he wasn't sure of, but he mostly talked to Rory anyway.

They all got rather drunk. Ted got to give Melissa a high five before she pulled Christina off into the bedroom around 1am. Rory managed to convince Ted to dance with him when Luke started putting music on, and Ted was drunk enough to try to kiss him. Fortunately Rory kissed him back; he wasn't actually in the mood to deal with the fallout. Luke and one of the women wolf whistled at them. Ted rolled his eyes at that, but he was actually having a good night.

They left around three. Rory insisted on paying for the taxi, and Ted let him. He gave him a quick tour of the apartment, mostly because they had to go through most of it to get to the bedroom.

He didn't ask for Rory's number, and didn't give him his. He did, however, make him breakfast.


	4. Old Endings and New Beginnings

It was January 2nd, and Ted hadn’t really done much. Someone knocked on his door late in the evening, so he went to open. Charlotte was standing outside.

Ted was about to be angry with her, but then noticed she’d been crying. He let her in. “What’s up?”

“I told Sam I wanted a divorce.”

He’d expected many things, but not that. “Charlotte…” He pulled her in for a hug. “What happened.”   
She started crying again, sobbing into his chest. He picked her up and carried her to the couch, still holding her. “I’m sorry,” she managed to get out. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I didn’t— I didn’t know what to do.”   
“It’s alright.” He didn’t know what to do, so he just sort of held her. “It’s alright.”

Eventually, the tears stilled, and Charlotte seemed a little more put together. “We were gonna do Christmas just the two of us, that’s been the plan for a while. It was the counselor's idea, take some time together, you know. But then he stopped wanting to go to counselling, and well, then he invited his brother to come spend Christmas with us, and he brought his wife and kids, and then their sister also came, which I didn’t know about, and he hadn’t asked me about inviting his brother and well… I got mad at him after they left. But he was drunk and— And—” She sobbed again.

Ted tightened his arms around her. “He hit you again,” he finished softly.

She nodded. “Worse than the other times.” She rolled up her sleeves, and Ted could see bruises on both her arms, presumably from Sam grabbing her. They were nearly a week old and beginning to yellow, but they were still very visible. “I tried to leave but he said, he said, don’t I dare, and well, Sam’s not a bad person but he’s so unpredictable when he’s drunk and he only locks the safe when kids are around and he’d already unlocked it again and—” She stopped talking abruptly. “I just stayed.”   
“Of course.” He kissed her hair. “Of course.” The idea of Sam pulling a gun on Charlotte made his blood run cold.

“We were supposed to go to his sister’s for New Year’s.” Charlotte was practically whispering. “I told him I wasn’t feeling well and stayed home. I packed some stuff, I was gonna leave before he came home, but then I couldn’t. I didn’t even have anywhere to go. And I got so  _ angry  _ with myself, but it didn’t help, I just hid the suitcase under the stairs and stayed. And he came home and was drunk but he didn’t do anything. He was actually a lot nicer than usual. So I figured maybe we could be okay, you know.” She took a shaky breath and reached for her cigarettes, then let Ted light one for her. She took a few drags. “I don’t know what happened. Yesterday was fine, but then today he was being aggressive again, and we were fighting and I— I don’t know what happened, I just told him I wanted a divorce. And then he got mad, so I left before— Before anything happened. Put my suitcase in the car and drove away. I didn’t know where else to go, so I came here.”   
“I’m happy you did.” Ted had no idea of what to do, but he figured calming down Charlotte was the most important thing, so he tried to do that. “You left your suitcase in the car? I’ll go get it.”   
She nodded and handed him the keys. “Hey Ted?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Thank you for letting me stay.”   
“Of course.” He forced what he hoped was a smile. “I’ll be back in a second.” He went down to Charlotte’s car and grabbed the suitcase in the trunk. He also grabbed her purse from the front seat, just because he didn’t want to leave it out. When he returned, Charlotte had curled up into a ball on the couch and lit another cigarette. "Hey." He walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder. "Do you wanna sleep alone or with me?"

She looked up at him in that blank way she sometimes did. "I don't know."

"I'll put your stuff in the bedroom, I'll move if you need me to." Ted grabbed the suitcase and purse again and put them in his bedroom. They looked out of place, but the part of him that still wanted Charlotte was pleased by the sight.

They sat together on the couch for a while, then went to bed. Ted held her through the night, but neither of them tried for as much as a kiss.

They had to go to work the next morning, both of them. They talked about taking different cars, but ended up both riding in Ted's. They didn't really talk much through the morning, nor at work.

Melissa pulled Ted aside for lunch. "I see you gave Charlotte a ride today. Also, Rory asked for your number, but I told him I'd have to ask you first."

"Thanks, don't give it to him." Ted glanced at Paul, only a few yards away, and lowered his voice. "She slept over at my place. She wants a divorce."

"And sleeping with her while she's going through a divorce is smart?" Melissa raised an eyebrow.

Ted shook his head. "We didn't have sex. She just stayed over. I don't know how much she's changed her mind since last night, so I don't know what's happening."

"Alright. Keep me updated." Melissa went to get lunch, and Ted followed.

Charlotte stayed at his apartment for a week. They didn't have sex, they didn't kiss, she was just there. Making dinner, complaining about his broken spice cabinet, smoking and occasionally smiling. She slept in the guest bedroom most days, but even when she slept in his bed, there was ten inches of space between them, and she wore a nightgown.

Ted wasn't thinking about Charlotte in the way he wanted to; it didn't feel fair, and although that normally didn't bother him, he also wanted her to make the first move. He also wasn't thinking about Sam, or the divorce, or any of that stuff.

Finally, once the weekend rolled around, Charlotte looked at her mostly empty suitcase, and the pile of her laundry next to it, and announced that she was going home to get more stuff. Ted offered to come with her, or call Paul or Bill to go with her — by then, the whole office knew that Charlotte was leaving her husband and was staying with Ted, though only Melissa knew of their affair — but she declined. She promised she’d be fine.

Ted paced and smoked pretty much the whole two hours she was gone, constantly wanting to call her up. He didn't, and she finally came back, suitcase in tow.

"How did it go?" he asked, as soon as she stepped in the door.

"Fine." She put her suitcase in the guest bedroom. "Just fine." She wouldn't look directly at him.

"Are you lying to me?" He spoke softly, trying and failing to not be accusatory.

She nodded. "He doesn't want a divorce. Says there's no reason."

"Charlotte." Ted pulled her in for a hug and rested his chin on her head. "You know, divorce laws exist for a reason. We'll look into it, I'm sure it can be arranged. Go sit down, I'll make us dinner." He let her go.

"Oh Ted. What would I do without you?"

_ Find someone else, _ he thought, but didn't say it. He just smiled at her and went to cook.

While the food was in the oven, he went to the guest room and cleared a few shelves. It kind of looked like Charlotte was staying, and the suitcase was getting in his way whenever he went to his desk.

"Do you think he'd want a divorce if I told him I was cheating on him?" she asked after they'd cleared the table.

Ted shrugged. "Maybe. But you should probably call a lawyer on Monday."

"That'll take my whole lunch break, probably longer." Charlotte grimaced. "I know I can be away from my desk, but still."

Ted considered letting her figure it out for herself. "I have my computer here set up for work. If I take an hour or two now to get through some stuff, I can cover for you a bit on Monday." He didn't really want to, but he had to admit that if it sped up things for Charlotte, it was worth it. Also since it meant she would likely move out sooner; he didn’t mind her staying, but it was hard to be romantically interested in your roommate. "Or you can sign in with your credentials and do stuff yourself." He knew full well that Charlotte's job description was too dependent on other people to do any substantial work on the weekends, but he'd make the offer. "Your call. I don't mind."

"Ted… You'd do that? For me?"

He shrugged. "Sure. Gotta do it now, though, I have plans tomorrow. Which reminds me;" he tossed her a key to the apartment. "I got a copy made. That way you aren't dependent on me being home."

Charlotte stared at the key in her hand, looking like she was about to burst into tears. "Ted."

"Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go do some work." He retreated to the small guest room that had his computer setup and where Charlotte mostly stayed.

Charlotte was asleep in his bed by the time he went in there; he slept next to her, but kept the space she was normally so careful about.

The next day was Sunday, and Ted had promised to pick up Alice and Deb from Clyvesdale and take them back to Hatchetfield, seeing as there were no busses on Sundays, and somehow all their parents were too busy.

He pulled up in front of Laura's house and texted Alice that he was there.  _ Come in, mom isn't home, _ came the reply. He switched off the car and went to knock.

Alice opened the door and let him in. "So, remember how I said Deb's parents couldn't drive us and we couldn't get to borrow a car?" she said.

Ted nodded. "That's mostly why I'm here."

"That was… That was kind of a lie." She smiled, a little sheepish. "We need a favour."

He sighed, but he was inclined to help Alice with pretty much anything. "Alright, what do you need? And can I make it to be back in Hatchetfield by three, I'm going for coffee with Melissa." It was only eleven, so Ted hoped he could.

"Yeah, of course, come on." She dragged him into the living room. Ted tried not to think about Laura. "Basically, there's a club at school and well, we were gonna throw a party and Deb promised everyone she could get alcohol because normally her parents don't mind, but they said no, and we figured, maybe we could convince you to buy some for us?"

Ted looked at her for a few seconds. "What kind of club?"

"Smoke club." Deb walked into the living room. "It's a smoke club."

Ted sighed. "Look, you guys are what, sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Seventeen," Alice muttered.

"Right. And you're telling me you're in a smoke club. You—" he pointed at Deb "—I'm not surprised by, you smelled like pot the first time I met you. You—" he pointed at Alice "—you, I'm disappointed in. You guys having a little bit of alcohol when I'm around is fine, but if you're smoking pot or drinking without supervision, that's too much." He looked at Alice. "I'm your dad's friend, not yours, alright? I don't mind driving you around or helping out every once in a while, but there's a limit, got it?" He patted her shoulder. "Go get your stuff, unless there's anything else you wanna do before we leave?"

Alice shook her head and left. Deb looked at Ted. "Hey uhh, can I smoke in your car?" she asked.

Ted shrugged. "Cigarettes, yeah. Pot, no. Not when we might get pulled over. Not to mention, my roommate is married to a cop, so I don’t exactly want my car smelling like pot."

Deb raised an eyebrow. "If they're married, why are they living with you?"

"Long story." She was a literal kid. He was discussing his life with a kid. “And none of your business.”

Deb shrugged. "Well, in that case, I'm gonna smoke before we leave. Or is that also too much?"

"Jeez." Ted sighed. "At least let me keep an eye on you. Jeez. Kids." Ted decided in that moment that he was never having children, but he followed Deb outside.

She took a joint out of the pocket of her overalls and lit it. Ted considered lighting a cigarette, but then didn't; he was trying to smoke less, it had gotten bad the past year.

"Want a hit?" Deb held out the joint to him.

Ted stared at it. He'd smoked a few times when he was in college, and he'd never officially sworn it off. He figured he couldn't be a worse example than letting her smoke, so he took it.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Alice came out, holding her duffel bag in one hand. "You two." She tsked, then walked up to Ted. "Weren't you the one who said smoking pot was bad?"

"Without adult supervision, yes. I'm an adult, I'm supervising." He smiled and handed the joint back to Deb. "Ready to go."

"Yeah." Alice held out her hand. "Keys. If you're high, I'm driving."

That was a very fair point. Ted gave her the keys. "I'm not high, to be fair, I took a hit."

"You took two, I saw you." Alice elbowed him. "Shall we?"

"Right." Ted moved off towards the car. "You know, you can just drop me off at home and tell your dad to give me the keys tomorrow at work." He didn't need the car, and he was sure Alice and Deb would be thrilled to have it. "Only you driving, Alice. And you're staying sober."

"Of course." She smiled. "Thanks Ted!"

"Yeah, whatever."

He took a nap in the backseat during the trip back to Hatchetfield. He'd seen Alice drive exactly once, but she was a safe driver, and new enough that he figured she probably wouldn't take any dumb risks. He could vaguely hear her and Deb talking.

Later, all he really remembered from that trip was that he was happy for them. Apparently the pot had hit harder than expected.

By the end of February, Charlotte was still living with Ted, and Sam was still refusing a peaceful divorce. Which meant that she had to take it to court, which meant Ted had to go to court. And Charlotte couldn’t really find a place to live until the divorce was final, since she didn’t know how much money she actually had, so she stayed. He didn’t mind.

The court date was mid-March. Ted and Charlotte both took the day off for it and drove there together.

The courtroom was stiff and formal, and Ted was uncomfortable being there. He couldn't stay next to Charlotte, so he was on the bench alone, nervously fidgeting with the cuff of his sleeve.

Ted was kind of surprised to be called up to speak. He knew it was a possibility, but he jumped when his name was called.

It started with the usual. Then a few random questions that Ted couldn't figure out the purpose of. Then they started being relevant. "Did you ever see Sam hit Charlotte?"

"No, but I saw her bruises."

"And you're sure they're from him hitting her?"

"Yes." He probably shouldn't say that in court, given that he didn't have any proof, but oh well.

"How can you be sure?"

"What do you mean?" He knew exactly what was meant, but he wanted to stall a little.

"Explain to me how you saw the bruises and why you're sure it's from him hitting her."

"Well, one time she came to my apartment immediately afterwards, and she had a bruise forming on her cheek. It was pretty evidently from someone hitting her in the face. I can't know it was Sam, of course, but that's what she told me, and she was crying and clearly out of it, so I have no reason to think she would lie." He was uncomfortably aware of the amount of people watching him. "The second time, I didn't see her until the week after. She had a big bruise on her upper arm, like from a punch, and bruises on her forearm that were pretty clearly from someone grabbing her. Again, I didn't actually see this happen, but I have no reason not to believe her."

"Right, right. And is it true that you and Charlotte have had an affair?"

"Yes." Ted didn't want to say it, Charlotte hadn't admitted to it yet, but he also wouldn't lie in court. He saw Sam's head snap up and stare at him. Apparently he hadn’t known, even though Ted figured it had been pretty obvious.

"Okay." The lawyer shot a glance at Sam. "And how long has this affair been going on?"

"It started, I believe, in December the year before last or January last year, and ended in late August last year."

"And it has not resumed?"

"No." Ted looked over at Charlotte. She smiled. "It hasn't."

"But Charlotte has been staying with you?" The lawyer raised an eyebrow. "For how long exactly?"

"She has, yes. Since the beginning of January." Ted stared at the lawyer, deciding to hate him. He clearly didn't believe him.

"And during this time, you have had no sexual relations with Charlotte?"

"I haven't. She has simply been staying at my place." Ted leaned back and whispered, low enough for the microphone to not pick up, "I already told you that, doofus."

"What was that? Please speak up." The lawyer looked calm, and Ted hated him.

Then he glanced at Sam, who was looking smug, and decided that he hated him more, and remembered why he was here. "I just said that I already told you, since I said the affair had not continued." He didn't add that he'd called him a doofus.

"Right." The lawyer glanced back at Charlotte. "Charlotte also says that you were the one who told her about Sam's cheating on her?"

"Yes." Ted was getting impatient, drumming on the arms of his seat. "I did."

"And how did you know this?"

"I've seen him. Twice. Once at a pub, with a girl who looked about college age, and once at the park with another girl. Same age." He probably had no reason to add that they were young, but Ted wanted to make sure Sam knew how shitty he thought he was.

The lawyer did look mildly surprised. "And what was he doing with these… Girls?"

"The one in the pub he was just making out with. The one in the park he was also feeling up."

"Aha. Thank you, that's all we need."

Ted was grateful to return to his seat and get to be a spectator for the rest of the session.

Sam caught him in the hall afterwards. "Ted. Ted. Hey man, I gotta talk to you."

"What do you want?" Ted mostly wanted to deck him, but he was still in a courthouse and he didn't trust that Sam was unarmed. "I need to leave." Technically, he had to wait for Charlotte, who was having an emergency meeting with her lawyer; they'd driven there together.

"Right, right, just a moment." Sam pulled him off to the side a little bit. "Look, I didn't know you fucked my wife, but I tell you, if she's not out of your apartment by the end of the day, I'll go get her."

"Buddy." Ted put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "She's leaving you. Get over it; I'm an upgrade, and that says more about you than it does me. And one more threat like that, I'm getting a restraining order, alright?" He walked off, fists curled, wishing that he'd hit him.

Charlotte was there, looking worried. "Ted, what happened? What did he say?"

Ted took her hand, trying to play it off as reflex. "I think we should call Paul and ask if you can stay at his place tonight. Or Melissa. Or, well, anywhere that's not my place."

"Ted, I—"

"Trust me." He squeezed her hand. "Just this once."

Ted was happy he'd made Charlotte stay at Melissa's place that night. Sam knocked on the door just after midnight. Ted, in bed and half asleep, went to open. "Sam. What are you doing here?"

"Where's my wife?"

"Charlotte is not here. If there was nothing else, I'd like you to leave." He resisted the urge to slam the door in his face. "And even if she was, I'd want you to leave."

Sam took off his sunglasses — which he shouldn't be wearing at night anyway — and stared at Ted. Ted stared back. "Where. Is. My. Wife?"

"At a friend's place. I'm pretty sure I'm not legally allowed to tell you, and even if I am, I’m not required, so I don't want to. Run along now, I need to sleep." Ted closed the door, but he stayed up for another hour to make sure Sam didn't return. He didn't sleep well that night.

He was back in court the next day. He didn't have to say anything, but he watched with a certain satisfaction as Sam was forced to sign the divorce papers. He knew, technically, Charlotte got the worse end of the deal, but he lived with it. Anything was better than staying with him.

He drove with Charlotte back to her place to get her stuff; Sam was keeping the apartment. Charlotte would look for a new place to stay, but in the meantime, her things were going into storage, and she was going back to Ted’s.

Ted didn't do much; he didn't actually know what was Charlotte's stuff and what wasn't. He was there to act as a buffer to Sam.

Melissa texted him while they were there.  _ How did it go? _

_ Divorce happened. At Charlotte's now to get her stuff. _

_ Is she staying with you?  _ He could practically see Melissa's raised eyebrow.

_ Temporarily. Until she finds a place. _ He smiled a little.  _ If she finds a place. _ There was no good reason for that; he wanted her to, he didn’t want her to stay as his roommate forever. But well, he also didn’t mind her staying.

"What are you smiling at?" Sam came over to attempt to look at his phone.

Ted shut the screen off before he could look. "A friend being nice." He pocketed the phone and sent a smile — a grimace, really — at Sam. "Nothing you need to worry about."

Charlotte came up. "I'm done with my stuff, it's all in the car." She put a hand out to Sam. "Thank you, Sam. I'll see you around, I guess."

Sam glared at her and didn't shake her hand.

Ted put a hand on Charlotte's arm. "Come on, storage unit closes at five."

She let him drag her out of the apartment.

Once in the car, Charlotte started crying. Ted held her hand while he drove, stroking his thumb over her knuckles. He didn't say anything, but he left her in the car while he carried her things into the small storage unit she'd rented.

When he got back in the car, he looked at her. "Charlotte? What do you need?"

She shook her head.

"Charlotte. I can't help you if you don't talk to me." He stared at her, keeping his hand out enough for her to reach, but not touching her. "I don't know how to do this."

"Me either." She sobbed. "Let's just go home."

"Alright." Ted started the car. "Tell me."

They drove home in silence. Charlotte went straight to the bedroom and curled up, crying. Ted cooked dinner and brought it to her, then curled up around her until the next morning. He was tempted to kiss her a few times, but restrained himself; even if she wanted it, it was a bad time. He might be callous with this sort of thing, but not quite that much.

The following Sunday, Melissa asked that he come to her place for coffee, instead of going to a cafe like they normally did.

Christina opened the door for him when he showed up. "Hey Ted. Come on in." She gave him a hug.

"Hey Christina." He hugged her back, toed off his shoes, and went into the kitchen. Melissa had his coffee ready.

"Fuck off, Ted." She handed him a cup. "We have news, but you first. What's up with Charlotte?"

Ted shrugged and sipped his coffee. "Not much. She's been upset, of course. She doesn't talk much." Ted sat down by the breakfast bar. "What's your news? Happier than mine, hopefully."

"I've been offered a job," Christina said.

"Nice. Congratulations!" He smiled at her. "Where? What?"

"In California," Melissa said. "And I plan on moving with her."

"Oh." Ted kind of felt like a carpet was pulled out from underneath him. "When are you leaving?"

"Beginning of April," Christina replied. "I am, at least. If we haven't found a place to live, Melissa might stay a while longer."

"You can come visit us in the summer," Melissa said then, smiling. "You can bring Charlotte."

Ted laughed. "Oh sure, I'll go on a vacation with my depressed roommate. But yeah, I'd love to come visit you."

"Ted." Melissa looked at him. "Ted. Charlotte is not just your roommate."

"What would you call her then?" Ted downed his coffee. "Both friend and co-worker apply, I suppose."

"It's been, what, almost three months? You're telling me you haven't asked her out?"

"She's married. Well," he amended with a click of his tongue, "she was until this week."

Christina patted his shoulder. "Bring her as your girlfriend to our going away party, or don't bother showing up." She handed him an envelope. "An invitation, by the way."

"Thanks." Ted pocketed the envelope. "I'll be there."

"You haven't checked the date," Melissa pointed out.

"I'll be there," he repeated. "This is important. I'm going to miss you." That was about as much as he was gonna talk about it, so he changed the topic. "By the way, where were you last week? You weren’t at work, and you never said."

Melissa began some story about being sick, and Ted called her out for lying and staying in with Christina.

When he came home, a few hours later, Charlotte was cooking. "Hey," he said as he walked into the kitchen. "How are you doing?"

"Sam called." She was staring into the pot.

"What did he say?" Ted wrapped his arms around her. Melissa was right; there was no longer any point in waiting.

"Not much. Just yelled a lot."

Ted rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He kissed her cheek. "You know, you don't have to pick up. You never have to pick up again."

"I know." She didn't really acknowledge him touching her, but she didn't shake him off. "But I don't know, Ted, he's my husband."

"Not anymore." Ted turned her around and leaned in, stopping about an inch away from her face. She glanced at his lips, then back up at his eyes. "Look, I'm done pretending like I don't want you. So I'm prepared to do this. Are you?" He stared at her steadily, refusing to close the distance.

She averted her eyes. "Ted…" He didn't answer. She dropped to a whisper. "Ted, I don't know. I don't know."

"That's fine." He didn't lean away. "Right now?"

She still wasn't looking at him. He still had his arms around her, was still an inch and a half away. She pulled him into a hug suddenly, and he held her, cradling her head against his chest. "Not now," she said, still in a whisper. "Not now."

"Not now," he agreed, and planted a kiss on her hair. "Some other time."

Things were more casual after that. Nothing happened, but Ted was no longer making any effort to conceal his interest in Charlotte. Not even at work; they still weren't eating lunch together or anything, but he did drop a kiss on her head when he walked past her desk a lot, or put a hand on her back when they were standing next to each other in the break room, or held her hand in a meeting. Within the week, everyone at the office assumed they were together, at which point Ted became more careless about discussing their relationship in public. Everyone already knew they’d been seeing each other while she was married; once you’d said something in court it was hard to keep secret.

That Friday, Charlotte asked Ted to go to a proper restaurant for dinner. They drove into Clyvesdale together and ate at a small Italian restaurant. Ted paid for both of them, there were candles on the table, and the waitstaff evidently thought they were on a date. Ted wasn't going to dispute it.

"I had a good time tonight," Charlotte said in the car on the way back.

"Yeah?" Ted took his eyes off the road for a moment to smile at her. "I'm glad you did."

"Ted… Was this a date?"

He shrugged. "Sure, let's say that. Unless you have any objections?"

"I don't, I just, I haven't been on a date in years."

"Well then." He reached over to squeeze her hand. "Guess I'll just have to take you on another one soon."

"That would be nice." Charlotte laced her fingers with his and Ted drove one-handed for the rest of the way.

Ted took her hand again as soon as they were out of the car. "You know, you should consider taking this off." He brushed a thumb over her wedding ring. "At some point."

"Yeah, probably." She took her hand away, twisting the ring nervously. "I don't have anywhere to keep it though. It's an expensive ring, I don't want to just get rid of it or leave it somewhere."

"I said at some point." Ted let them into the apartment. "I don't really care."

Charlotte reached out to take his hand. "You know, Ted, sweetheart, this was probably the best date I've ever been on."

He smiled softly at her. "Sweetheart, huh?" He took a step closer and put his other arm around her.

She blushed a little and averted her eyes. "Maybe." She had to get on her toes to kiss him, but she did, very briefly. "I don't know if it works."

Ted shrugged. "Anything works for me." He pulled her close. "But I think I'll stick with Charlotte." He let go of her hand, only so that he could hold her face when he kissed her.

It was slower than usual, no rush, no one on their way home or on their way out. It was almost sweet, in a way, Ted thought; they were still in the entryway of his apartment, dressed up nice, having come back from a date. Like teenagers in one of those movies Charlotte liked.

“It’s getting late.” Ted broke the kiss, but he didn’t let go of her face. “I know we don’t have plans until tomorrow afternoon, but still, we should head to bed.”

“Sure.” She smiled. “I don’t mind.”

They headed to bed. Ted had gotten so used to sleeping next to her without touching, when she curled up against him, he almost stiffened and pulled away. Instead, he put his arms around her. “You should pull your hair up like you did today more often,” he said. “It looks good.”

“Oh Ted.” She turned to face him. “You’re just flattering me.”   
“No, I mean it.” He pushed her hair out of her face. “You’re gorgeous, that’s just a fact.” He kissed her again, reminding himself to let her set the pace.

She giggled and blushed. “What do you want, Ted?”

“Oh, I think you know.” He winked at her. “Your move, Charlotte.”

They ended up having sex. Ted wasn’t exactly surprised; Charlotte had never really been good at holding back, once she’d given in. But it was also the first time in nearly six months, and Ted was happy it was happening.

The next day was Melissa’s and Christina’s going-away party. Ted and Charlotte went together.

Christina opened the door for them. “Ted, hi.” She gave him a hug. “And this must be Charlotte, then?”

“Yeah. Charlotte, this is Melissa’s girlfriend, Christina.” Ted did a vague gesture to indicate.

“Hi.” Charlotte did a little wave and a smile.

Paul was already there, as was Christina’s sister Mary and several other people Ted recognised from New Year’s. Including Rory, who came up to say hello.

“Oh, and this is my girlfriend, Charlotte.” Ted grabbed her hand as she walked past him and Rory. “Charlotte, this is Rory, a friend of Melissa’s, we met at New Year’s.”   
“Oh hi.” Charlotte shook his hand. Rory side-eyed her a little, but he seemed fine.

Charlotte caught Ted a minute later, after Rory had moved on. “Girlfriend?”

“Yeah.” He kissed her quickly. “What would you call it?”   
“You're right.” She smiled. “You’re right. I just wasn’t expecting it.”   
Bill arrived with Alice and Deb in tow. Bill just waved at Ted across the room, but both the girls came up to him to say hi. “Hey girls. Alice, you know Charlotte. Deb, this is my girlfriend, Charlotte. Charlotte, this is Alice’s girlfriend, Deb.”   
“Oh hi girls.” Charlotte smiled a little as they moved on. Then she looked at Ted. “Why are you such good friends with teenage girls?”

He shrugged. “I help them out sometimes. You know, there is some stuff that parents shouldn’t be privy to that should still have adult supervision. Which reminds me—” He caught Deb’s shoulder as she was walking off. “Hey, there’s a smoke alarm in the bathroom.”

“Thanks.” She grinned at him. “What do you plan on doing?”

“Going outside. Like a normal fucking person, Deb.” He rolled his eyes at her, overly aware that Charlotte was watching him with a kind of caution.

“Right. Alright, see you around.” She turned away, then turned back. “By the way, my dad says he saw you in a restaurant in Clyvesdale yesterday with, and I quote, ‘Some woman with a wedding ring.’”

Ted nodded. “That tracks, Charlotte still wears hers. How did he recognise me? He’s maybe met me twice.”

Deb shrugged. “I don’t know, he just said he saw you. Anyway, I’m gonna go see if Melissa has made cucumber sandwiches, bye.” She didn’t wait for a reply.

“Ted, you shouldn’t talk to them like that.” Charlotte was tugging at his hand.

“Like what?” He laced their fingers together and pulled her to a wall and the illusion of privacy against it. “They’re kids, sure, but they’re seventeen, and I’m not responsible for them.”

“Like— Like you’re their  _ friend _ .” She looked around and lowered her voice. “They might get the wrong idea. Kids are vulnerable to this sort of stuff.”

“Oh.” All of a sudden it made sense; Charlotte’s weird caution, her discomfort at the way he spoke to the girls. She’d been around Sam who, Ted hoped, had never hooked up with high school girls, but who was older than Ted by enough that the age difference to college girls was the same. “Look, Charlotte, I think we’re fine in this case. Because both of Alice’s parents know me very well, and Deb’s parents can apparently recognise me, and well, they’re both lesbians, and I have a very wonderful girlfriend.” He kissed her forehead. “But I appreciate your concern, and I’m sure their parents do too.”

"Right." She smiled. "Let's go join the party."

The rest of the evening went pretty smoothly, all things considered. Ted did have another awkward run-in with Rory, but Christina's sister Mary saved him. She told him he owed her, but he wasn't expecting to see her much.

Charlotte was largely a wallflower, so while Ted was talking to people, he did mostly sit with her and talked quietly to whoever was around. Alice and Deb asked him to sneak them alcohol before he got any himself, so he split a beer into two coffee mugs and gave it to them, carefully making sure they both seemed fine, and stayed sober. Charlotte clearly disapproved, but she didn't say anything.

Ted went with their families to drop Melissa and Christina off at the airport. Saying goodbye to Christina was sad, but not upsetting. But hugging Melissa goodbye made Ted feel worse than he had in a long time. "Stay in touch," he said, and he could feel how choked up he got.

"You too. And don't you start crying on me."

He just shook his head and hugged her again.

"Right. Got a plane to catch. Fuck off, Ted." She smiled and laughed a little, but she was as choked up as he was, and she had tears in her eyes.

When he got home, Ted just went to bed. It was Wednesday and only two in the afternoon, so Charlotte wasn't there yet. He decided to try to take a nap.

He was woken up a few hours later by Charlotte gently shaking him. "Ted, sweetheart, it's time for dinner."

"Not yet." He reached out to pull her down to him. "Just a moment."

"Alright then." She held him for several minutes as he didn't quite cry.

She ended up just bringing their dinner into the bedroom. Ted ate and thanked her; he felt a little bad for not helping with anything.

Charlotte came to bed about an hour after they'd eaten. She brought her laptop in and put on a movie, not really saying much. Ted put his arms around her and tried to pay attention to the movie instead of his thoughts. He hadn't really expected to be that knocked out by Melissa leaving.

Two mindless movies later, Ted kissed Charlotte goodnight and went to sleep with his arms around her; she wasn’t sleeping in the guest room anymore. He didn't exactly sleep well, but he slept.

With Melissa gone, Ted was talking far more to Paul at work. He ate lunch with Charlotte most days, but they didn't always have breaks at the same time, and they saw each other so much otherwise.

Which is how he ended up accompanying Paul to Beanie's to "put in a good word" with the barista that he was apparently crushing on.

Emma was at work. Ted had sort of accepted that he saw her pretty much every time he went, and since they'd wordlessly agreed to pretend that they'd never seen each other outside of the shop, he wasn’t gonna be awkward about it, especially not a year and a half later. He changed his mind a little when Paul pointed her out as the one he was crushing on.

Ted wasn't one to leave people hanging, though, so he went up to order. "Hey Emma."

"Hi?" She raised an eyebrow. "What can I do for you?"

"A chai latte for me and your number for my friend over here." He sent her a cheap smile. "I actually just promised to ask for your name."

"You know my name. That'll be four fifty." She turned away to start the tea.

"Right." Ted threw a dollar in the tip jar. "It says tip for a song."

"People are working, I have a line, I don't—" She shook her head. "Alright.  _ I've been brewing up your coffee, I want you to have a good day— _ "

Ted threw another dollar in. "Do you stop if I tip you again?"

"Yes." Emma stopped singing. "Tell your friend he can ask me things himself." She handed over his tea. "I don't bite."

"That's an outright lie." Ted sent her another cheap smile in response to her murderous look, and left quickly. He went over to Paul. "Her name's Emma, and you should ask her yourself."

"Thanks Ted." Paul patted his shoulder. "You're a good friend."

"Right." Ted left with his tea and decided to give it a week before coming back.

He told Charlotte that evening, and she laughed at him. Then she also had sex with him, so he forgave her.

May came and went without Charlotte being able to find a place to live. She was beginning to get desperate, missing her stuff and missing somewhere to stay, Ted suspected.

"It's impossible," she said one evening, pushing her PC away. "Nowhere in Hatchetfield has a rent I can afford."

Ted looked over her shoulder at the website. "What about Clyvesdale?" he asked. "It's not that far to drive in, you can keep your job and everything. No one says you have to stay in Nantucket."

"I suppose…" She looked at the PC for a while. "I've lived in Hatchetfield my whole life, though. I don't really want to leave."

"Right." He drummed a tattoo on her leg. "Stay here, then."

"What?"

"Charlotte. You've lived here for five months now. You're paying half the rent. Take your things out of storage and stay." He leaned in to kiss her. "I mean it." It was a completely impulsive decision, but it didn’t feel wrong.

"Ted, I… I don't know…" She was averting her eyes, twisting her wedding ring. "I know it's been a while, but it's been temporary. Is it a good idea?"

He squeezed her knee. "It's not a bad idea," he replied. "It's not like I put a lot of thought into it just yet, but hey. It's worked out so far, might as well."

Charlotte took off her wedding ring and put it on the table. She rubbed the place where it had been. "I'll think about it."

"Of course." Ted picked up the ring and looked at it. Gold band, an inscription of a date on the inside. He hadn't realised how long Charlotte had been married; fourteen years, assuming the date was their wedding day. "You know, I think I have a necklace chain somewhere I never wear, if you wanna keep this on a chain instead of wearing it on your finger."

She took it from him. "No, I wanna wear it." She put it back on. "It's a pretty ring, Ted, it would be a shame not to use it."

"Alright." He didn't quite understand why she kept wearing it, but he didn't really mind. He was used to it. "Hey, come on, I bought cupcakes. You want coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks." She smiled at him and gave his hand a quick squeeze before he went to get coffee and cupcakes from the kitchen.

June was almost over before Charlotte decided she wanted to move in for real. Ted hadn't pushed it, and they hadn't really talked about it any more, she just said one evening that she'd like to stay if he'd still let her. And he did.

Ted cleared some of his own stuff out while Charlotte drove out to pick her things up from storage. Not much actually went out, but things got pushed together to make space for Charlotte's.

He helped her carry up her things. "You know, it's your apartment too, now, so if there's anything you want to move around, just say so." He suspected he'd regret that.

His suspicions were confirmed. She insisted on throwing out the shag carpet in the bedroom, but they compromised and moved it to the guest room. She also insisted on keeping the couch against a wall, which Ted had never in his life done.

He managed to banish the porcelain plates with cat motifs to the guest room, but she put two cat statuettes up in the living room. "I've never actually had a cat," she said when she saw Ted raise an eyebrow at them. "I've always wanted one, but my dad was allergic and Sam hated them."

"Have you never lived alone?" Ted mentally logged the information; her birthday wasn't far, and the apartment allowed pets. He didn't exactly want a cat, but he didn't mind the idea.

She shook her head. "No, my— Sam and I got married in college, I was still living with my parents."

"Wauw." Ted shook his head. "It almost is a shame you didn't get your own place, you should try living alone." He put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "Too late now, though."

She giggled. "It's fine, you know, I like it." She patted his hands. "Now let me go, I need to unpack."

After her things were unpacked, Charlotte's wedding ring was banished to the jewelry box she kept on the nightstand. She still wore it sometimes, but never on her left hand.

"Come on Paul, please. You're like my best friend, I need this favour." Ted accompanied Paul to Beanie's to talk to him. "It's just for a day."

"Ted, no. I don't like cats."

"You're such a buzzkill." Ted had committed to buying a cat for Charlotte's birthday, but it meant that he needed a place to put the damn thing for a day so he didn't have to drive all the way to Clyvesdale on her birthday. "You know Bill's allergic. At least go with me to buy it on Friday."

"Ted…" Paul looked like he wanted to say no. "Don't you have other friends?"

"Not in Hatchetfield. Not since Melissa and Christina moved."

Paul was evidently uncomfortable. "Fine. But I'm not going with you to buy it, you can drop it off at my place Friday."

"Thanks Paul, you're the best!" Ted paid for both their coffees as a thank you.

He drove into Clyvesdale Friday evening to go to PetSmart. "I'm getting a cat for someone as a present, they've never had a cat before, what will I need?"

The lady looked at him like he was insane, but she went over the various things he'd need — litter box, food, toys, water bowl, the works — and then took him to where they had the cats.

He decided to get a slightly older one, a calico cat missing an ear. It was already trained, which was most of why he chose it, but also because its name was Mel, and he thought of Melissa. Charlotte probably wouldn't care either way.

He dropped Mel off at Paul's place with a lot of thank-yous and a promise to return the favour, then went back home to Charlotte.

Ted got up very early the next morning to go pick up the cat. Paul had taken a slight liking to it overnight, but he was still glad to get rid of it.

Ted put all the things he'd bought for Mel in the living room, then took the cat itself out of its transport bag, and went to wake up Charlotte.

"Good morning," he said, brushing the hair out of her face with the hand that wasn't holding the cat. "And happy birthday."

"Thank you." She smiled lazily at him. "Good morning."

"I got you a present." Ted pulled the cat around to cradle in front of him where she could see it. "This is Mel."

"Ted!" Charlotte sat up straight. She held out her hand to Mel, who sniffed it. "Ted, it's a cat."

"It is. Its name is Mel." Mel hopped out of Ted's arms and over on Charlotte's lap. "And this is the last time it's allowed in my bed."

Mel allowed Charlotte to pick it up, and she cradled it to her chest. "Oh Ted!" She had tears in her eyes. "Ted, sweetheart, thank you so much. I love you."

"Yeah, uh." Ted was a little taken aback by that. He leaned in to kiss her hair. "I'm gonna go get breakfast ready, you get yourself acquainted with Mel here."

Charlotte was cooing at the cat all through the morning, even while they ate. Ted watched her, sort of fascinated; he'd never seen her so entirely caught up in something, but he enjoyed it.

Paul and Bill came over for lunch, along with a few of Charlotte's other friends, mostly people she went to college with; they were all from out of town. Ted had made sure to warn Bill of the cat, and he made sure to pull Paul aside and thank him for helping with it.

Everyone left in the afternoon, and Ted and Charlotte went out for dinner in the evening. She almost didn't want to leave Mel alone, but Ted insisted that it would be fine, and it'd have to be alone when they went to work, anyway.

They arrived in Clyvesdale early and decided to go for a walk before dinner. Charlotte laced their fingers together as they walked. "This was a good day, Ted."

"I'm glad you thought so. I did try. But we haven't even had dinner yet, I have plenty of time to screw it up." He turned them back towards the restaurant; it was almost time for their reservation.

"Ted! Don't say that!" She batted at his arm. "You're the best boyfriend I've had."

"Eh, better than the last." He walked into the restaurant. "Table for two."

"That's all you gotta beat." She smiled at him as they walked to their table.

"Right." Ted ordered wine, figuring he could go pick up his car the next day. "Of course."

They shared an appetizer, smiled at each other too much, and drank too much wine. It was a good night.

Ted was half asleep that night when he heard Charlotte whisper. "Goodnight Ted. I love you."

"Hmm. Goodnight." He pulled her close. "Love you too." He was kinda surprised at hearing himself say it, but he didn't think it was untrue.


End file.
